According to injury lawyers of Nevada, if a gun injures you, you may be eligible for personal injury compensation. Some circumstances must be met for you to file a personal injury claim, however. Las Vegas gun laws are not as strict as some states and, the combination of guns and alcohol has contributed to Nevada having more deaths caused by weapons than by motor vehicles.
Negligence and Gun Injuries
When someone is handling a gun, there is an expectation that they will use reasonable care. This is required whether the person who fired the gun is a private individual, armed security guard or in a retail store that sells guns. Even though the person who fired the gun may not have meant to hurt you, if the gun was fired because it was mishandled or the person’s safety standards were lacking, the person can be held liable for your injuries, according to an injury attorney Las Vegas.
Who Is Liable?
The first person who can be held liable is the owner of the gun. They have a legal responsibility to keep the gun in a safe place, protected from someone who may use the weapon to hurt someone. A property owner may also be liable for injuries sustained in a gun incident. This could be an apartment complex, hotel or retail store where a gun may not have been safely stored. The courts also look at what caused the accident. It is not unusual in Las Vegas for a shooting to be related to drugs or alcohol, but they have also been caused by:
- Failing to lock the trigger
- Failure to warn others in the area that they were using a gun
- Faulty handling of a firearm
- Gun malfunction
- Poor design of a firearm
- Poor storage of the gun
- Use in a public place
- Using a hunting rifle or shotgun in the wrong place
Shooting Ranges
If a gun on a shooting range injures you, it is possible you can hold the shooting range liable. According to injury lawyers of Nevada, a shooting range must have procedures that protect those using the location from harm. It is possible the shooting range did not have a standard operating procedure that could have prevented your injury, or they may have been lacking common safety practices.
If you have been injured in a shooting accident, you need to contact an injury attorney Las Vegas to learn what rights you may have. The Schnitzer Law Firm is ready and waiting to help you get the compensation you deserve. You can call us at 702-960-4050, email us at contact@theschnitzerlawfirm.com or fill out the secure form online.