Overnight patrols in North Las Vegas turned up more than the usual traffic stops, as officers arrested three people and pulled illegal guns off the street, along with what they say was a device capable of converting semiautomatic weapons. The cases involve allegations that include possessing a device to modify a semiautomatic firearm, being a prohibited person with a gun, and firing a weapon inside city limits. Police say the arrests grew out of routine patrol encounters rather than a coordinated raid. No names or booking details were released in the department’s initial update.
The North Las Vegas Police Department laid out the basics in a Facebook reel posted Saturday, showing officers detaining three suspects and describing the allegations, according to the North Las Vegas Police Department. In that post, police said they seized the firearms and the conversion-style device during the contacts and booked the suspects on related counts.
What Police Say
“Officers remained vigilant so the community can rest easier,” the department wrote in the reel, adding that getting illegal guns and conversion devices off the street “helps prevent violence and keeps neighborhoods safer,” according to the North Las Vegas Police Department. The video shows officers cataloging the seized items and walking the suspects to waiting patrol vehicles.
How Nevada Law Treats Public Shootings
Nevada law generally bans firing a gun in public, treating it as a misdemeanor unless certain aggravating factors apply, such as shooting from a vehicle or inside an occupied building. NRS 202.280 and related statutes spell out the penalties for unlawful public gunfire and provide tougher punishment for malicious or wanton discharges, according to the Nevada Revised Statutes. Depending on what investigators find and how local ordinances apply, a reported gunshot inside city limits can be handled as a misdemeanor or, in aggravated circumstances, a felony.
Federal Context For Conversion Devices
Devices that can turn semiautomatic pistols into fully automatic weapons have already drawn serious federal attention in the Las Vegas area, with prosecutors bringing cases that highlight concerns over conversion tools and “ghost guns.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nevada has pursued prosecutions involving machine gun conversion devices and related trafficking in recent years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Nevada. Federal penalties can be stiff and may be stacked alongside state charges, depending on how a case develops.
Local Trend
This latest sweep comes on the heels of other proactive North Las Vegas police operations this year, including recent busts that turned up both drugs and guns. Those efforts, featured in department social media posts, are part of a broader push to remove what officers call “tools of violence” from local streets, according to reporting by FOX5 Las Vegas. Police encourage residents who spot suspicious activity to reach out through official NLVPD channels…