Nevada’s government faced a serious disruption when its background check system for firearms was knocked offline by a cyberattack. Dealers across the state saw sales freeze and customers disappointed as the Brady Firearms Unit stood down. But the system has been restored as of 8:00 a.m. Sunday, and licensed dealers can once again submit checks via the FFL Portal. Governor Joe Lombardo thanked the state’s tech and public safety teams for working “24/7” to get this essential service back.

This outage wasn’t just a technical glitch—it was a challenge to constitutional rights. When government systems fail, citizens don’t just lose convenience; they lose freedoms. Firearms sellers reported stacked inventory, lost sales, and frustrated customers who walked away. Small shops—like Reno Bulk Ammo—told stories of thousands of dollars lost because of delays. Dealers didn’t complain about regulation; they complained about the inability to operate.

Going forward, this should be a warning sign: essential public safety services—and by extension, rights—must be protected from cyber threats. Gov. Lombardo and Nevada should establish backup systems so such shutdowns don’t mean weeks of lost business and suspended rights. Restoring the system is good. Preventing this from happening again should now be the priority.

Source: News3LV; Review-Journal; KOLO; KTNV 

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