Las Vegas police used a Thursday meeting with state lawmakers to make a pointed ask: toughen the consequences for teens caught with guns. Metro officials urged legislators to bump juvenile gun possession from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor, arguing that a higher charge would give prosecutors more leverage as firearms keep turning up in schools and on the street.
The pitch came during an interim hearing where Metro and Clark County School District Police walked lawmakers through gun seizure numbers, security technology and student support efforts.
Police Presented To Lawmakers
Metro and the Clark County School District Police appeared before the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Government Affairs on Thursday, March 5, to present data and prevention plans, according to the Nevada Legislature.
What Schools Are Finding
Clark County School District Police told the committee that officers typically seize about 25 to 30 firearms a year, and that in the 2025-26 school year to date they have recovered 17 guns from students at high, middle and elementary campuses, according to FOX5.
Different local reports show slightly different tallies. A presentation cited by 8 News Now counted 15 guns seized and 16 juveniles found with guns between July and February.
Police Seek Harsher Charges For Teens
Las Vegas police asked lawmakers to reclassify juvenile gun possession as a gross misdemeanor so prosecutors would have tougher charging options, according to reporting by 8 News Now. Coverage identifies the official pressing the point as Joshua Martinez, who credited a juvenile gang task force for a sharp drop in youth homicides, saying juvenile homicides fell from 18 in 2024 to 5 in 2025, and urged lawmakers to consider tougher penalties to keep those numbers down.
What A Gross Misdemeanor Would Change
Under Nevada law a gross misdemeanor sits one rung above a misdemeanor and can carry up to 364 days in county jail and higher fines, while misdemeanors generally carry up to six months and smaller fines, per the state’s criminal code (NRS 193.120). Raising the classification for juveniles would expand potential penalties and could affect diversion, detention and record outcomes. How cases ultimately get handled would depend on prosecutors, juvenile court procedures and available services.
District Response: Screening And Support
CCSD told the committee it has rolled out single-point entry screening and weapons-detection systems at some high schools, along with cameras and motion detectors, and that it has embedded an officer with Metro’s vice unit to target gang-linked arms, according to FOX5.
The district’s materials also note it staffs social workers to help students and that more than half of confiscated weapons were tied to a gang nexus, details reflected in local coverage by 8 News Now.
The Joint Interim Standing Committee will weigh the testimony and could forward recommendations to the Legislature. The interim calendar lists the hearing for March 5, setting the topic up for further debate and possible bills at a future session.
