Yes, security guards can carry guns in California, but only after earning a separate firearms permit from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) on top of the standard Guard Card. The permit allows exposed carry only, limits you to the specific caliber you qualified with, and applies only while you’re working for a licensed Private Patrol Operator or a public entity that assigns you to armed duty.
You Need a Guard Card First
No one starts armed. Every security guard in California begins with a Guard Card, the baseline license issued by BSIS. To qualify, you must be at least 18, pass a criminal background check through both the California Department of Justice and the FBI, and complete a course covering your legal authority as a guard, including your power to arrest and the appropriate use of force.1California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 7583.6
After finishing that initial course, you submit fingerprints through Live Scan and apply for the Guard Card. Once issued, the clock starts: at least 16 hours of security skills training within your first 30 days and a total of 32 hours within six months.1California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 7583.6 If armed work is the goal, start those hours immediately.
Who Qualifies for a Firearms Permit
The firearms permit is stricter than the Guard Card. You must be at least 21 and either a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal resident.2Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Permit Fact Sheet BSIS runs its own background investigation to decide whether you carrying a firearm on duty would present a threat to public safety or violate the Penal Code.3California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code BPC 7583.23
Federal law adds its own disqualifiers on top of California’s review. Under 18 U.S.C. 922(g), you cannot possess a firearm if you have a felony conviction, a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, an active restraining order involving an intimate partner, a dishonorable military discharge, a history of involuntary commitment to a mental institution, or current unlawful drug use, among other categories.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts The domestic violence prohibition reaches back to misdemeanor convictions from before the law took effect in 1996. Any federal bar stops a permit application regardless of what the state review would otherwise allow.
Training, Qualification, and the Behavioral Assessment
You have to complete a BSIS-approved firearms training course at a BSIS-approved facility under a BSIS-approved instructor. The course has a classroom portion and a range portion.2Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Permit Fact Sheet
The classroom side runs roughly eight hours and covers moral and legal considerations, firearms nomenclature, use of force, and firearms maintenance and handling. The range portion covers handling fundamentals, safety preparation, and live-fire practice leading up to a scored qualification of 50 rounds.5Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 16, Section 635 – Course of Firearm Training
You qualify with the specific caliber you plan to carry. A 9mm qualification covers you for a 9mm; adding a .45 later means qualifying again with that caliber and having it added to the permit. You also pass a written exam prepared by BSIS on firearms law and use of force. All training and testing must be completed within six months before you submit the application.3California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code BPC 7583.23
Since January 1, 2022, every applicant also has to pass a behavioral assessment before applying. The assessment is administered by PSI, the testing vendor under contract with BSIS, for a $69 fee paid directly to PSI when scheduling.6Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. BSIS Firearms Permit – Assessment Requirement for Security Guards It must be completed within the six months before your application date. Fail it, and you cannot apply until you retake and pass.
What the Permit Actually Lets You Do
A BSIS firearms permit authorizes exposed carry only. The firearm must be visible in a holster while you perform your duties. Concealed carry is not covered; that requires a separate permit from a local law enforcement agency under the Penal Code, which is a completely different process. There is a narrow exception for guards employed as bank or financial institution messengers who carry during the transport of money or valuables.7Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Training Manual
You can only carry a firearm of the caliber listed on your permit card, and only while performing the duties associated with your license.8Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Bureau of Security and Investigative Services Licensing Information The permit does not give you the right to carry off duty or for personal purposes. You have to keep the valid permit on you while armed and present it to any peace officer or BSIS representative who asks.
Employment matters too. You can only carry while working for a licensed Private Patrol Operator or a political subdivision of the state that assigns you to armed duty.7Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Training Manual Employers are legally prohibited from letting a guard carry any firearm, loaded or unloaded, without a valid and current BSIS firearms permit.9California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code BPC 7583.22
Keeping the Permit Active
The firearms permit is valid for two years. Keeping it active takes ongoing training throughout the term, not a single renewal push at the end. You must complete four range requalifications during the two years, two in each 12-month period, spaced at least four months apart. Before each requalification, you complete a two-hour refresher on use of force and de-escalation.2Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Permit Fact Sheet You also have to pass the written firearms exam again with a score of at least 85% at some point during the term.
The renewal application has to be submitted at least 60 days before the permit expires.10Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Permit Renewal Application Miss that deadline and let the permit lapse, and there is no late renewal. You start over with a new application, repeat the full training course, retake the behavioral assessment, and go through the background process again.