The Federal govt purchased the land from Mexico, so they are legitimate owners. The people living in that territory failed to arrange to take title of the land when the Nevada state constitution was created, so it has remained federal land within the state’s boundaries since the original purchase. If Nevada really wanted it, which they apparently don’t, they would have to change their constitution, among other things.
So by your theory, when nations take lands, they take it for their governments, not their people? And when governments own lands, it means bureaucrats and corrupt politicans can make rules on it and money off of it, but those poor idiots not connected to the government cannot?
I mean, by your stupid logic, all lands are “federal lands” -