Frequently Asked Questions

Four steps, in order. They are strictly sequential — each one has to be finished before the next can start.

– Step 1 — Hold an active California guard card. You need the guard card number to move forward. Check that it is active at search.dca.ca.gov.
– Step 2 — Pass the PSI psychological assessment. $69, paid directly to PSI, not to us. Register for your assessment here, or call PSI at 1-877-392-6422.
– Step 3 — Take the firearms course and range qualification with us. $312.
– Step 4 — Submit the BSIS application. $110, paid to the state at bsis.ca.gov.

Total for one caliber: $491. Each additional caliber added during the initial training is $70 more.

The $312 we collect covers the $200 firearms course — range lane, gun rental, targets, 50 rounds for one caliber, and the manual — plus $112 for the firearms Live Scan. The remaining $179 is paid outside Valley Guard Training: $69 to PSI and $110 to BSIS.

Passing the PSI opens a six-month window to submit your application, so do not let the assessment sit.

To take the course you must be at least 21, and a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. Bring a valid state ID, your Social Security number, and proof of citizenship or lawful permanent residence.

Once your PSI is done, walk in during business hours. No appointment, pay on arrival, front door at 16140 Cohasset Street in Van Nuys.

This is not a one-day class. Plan on two days minimum, usually two to three depending on your skill level.

Living outside California does not disqualify you, but both the PSI assessment and the firearms training have to happen in California.

With a clean background, permits process in about three to four weeks when filed electronically.

Active peace officers and Level I/II reserve officers may be exempt from the firearms training and range qualification. Fingerprinting for the firearms permit is not exempt. See the peace officer exemption details at bsis.ca.gov.

No, you do not need to own a firearm — and yes, you can absolutely take the class without one.

We keep a large selection of revolvers and semiautomatic pistols in different calibers for students to use during training. Gun rental is already included in the $200 course fee, along with the range lane, targets, 50 rounds for one caliber, and the manual.

Most students use our firearms and ammunition. It is simpler, and the ammunition for your initial qualification is covered either way.

You are welcome to bring your own firearm instead. The course price is the same. If you use one of our rentals, you shoot our ammunition.

Calibers offered: 9mm, 10mm, .40, .45, .38/.357, and .380.

21. That is a federal minimum and we cannot waive it or make an exception.

You must also be a US citizen or a lawful permanent resident, and you must already hold an active California guard card before you start the firearms course.

We verify age from your valid state ID when you check in, so bring it with you. The same 21 minimum applies to requalifications and to adding a caliber later.

If you are under 21, you can still get your guard card and work unarmed — that minimum is 18 at the time of training. See “How do I get a California guard card?” Come back for the firearms permit when you turn 21. Nothing you do toward the guard card is wasted; it is the first step of the firearms permit anyway.

No. They are two different permits from two different authorities, and one does not replace the other.

A BSIS exposed firearm permit lets a licensed security guard carry a firearm openly while performing security duties. On its own, it does not allow concealed carry.

A CCW is issued by the sheriff of your county or your city’s chief of police and covers carrying concealed.

If you hold all three — an active guard card, a BSIS exposed firearm permit, and a California CCW — the restriction on security guards carrying concealed does not apply to you. Business and Professions Code section 7583.37(e)(1) makes that exception for anyone issued a concealed carry permit by a local law enforcement agency, and the BSIS firearms training manual says the same.

Your employer can still set a stricter rule for your assignment, so check your post orders.

We train and qualify for the BSIS exposed firearm permit. We do not teach a CCW class and we do not process CCW applications or renewals — those go through your issuing sheriff or police department. Holding a CCW does not exempt you from the BSIS firearms course.

No. Military service does not exempt you from the BSIS firearms training course or the range qualification. If you want a BSIS exposed firearm permit, you take the course like everyone else. We cannot shorten it or waive the qualification.

Two things do work in your favor.

Expedited processing. The Department of Consumer Affairs expedites license applications for active-duty service members, and for spouses and domestic partners of active-duty personnel stationed in California. BSIS is a DCA bureau, so this covers both guard card and firearms permit applications. Expedited means your application gets reviewed faster — it does not waive any training, exam or qualification requirement, and it does not guarantee approval. Military spouses may also have their initial application and license fees waived. Current criteria and required documentation are at dca.ca.gov.

Proof of citizenship. Your DD-214 is accepted for the firearms permit, so you do not need to track down a birth certificate.

If you served as a military police officer or hold federal law enforcement status, check the BSIS peace officer exemption page at bsis.ca.gov — some exemptions extend to federal qualified law enforcement officers. BSIS makes that determination, not us.

Otherwise the course is the same for everyone. See “How do I get an exposed firearm permit in California?”

Possibly not. BSIS publishes specific exemptions for peace officers and for Level I and Level II reserve officers who hold peace officer status under Penal Code sections 830 through 832.6.

For the exposed firearm permit, two exemptions may apply:

– Firearms training. Peace officers and federal qualified law enforcement officers who have completed firearms training may be exempt. The documentation is a photocopy of your peace officer ID plus one of the following: a letter from your commanding officer, your POST certificate, or a POST profile showing firearms training.
– Range requalification. This one is narrower. It applies to duly appointed peace officers who are authorized to carry a firearm in the course of their law enforcement duties and who have completed their agency’s requalification. The documentation is your peace officer ID plus a range master-signed completion document, a POST profile, or a letter from your commanding officer on agency letterhead.

Two things are not exempt:

– Fingerprinting for the firearms permit. This runs opposite to the guard card, where peace officers may skip Live Scan. For the firearms permit, fingerprinting still applies.
– The PSI psychological assessment. BSIS does not publish an exemption for it.

Whether your particular status and agency qualify is BSIS’s determination, not ours. We do not grant exemptions and cannot waive a requirement. Submit your documentation and let BSIS decide.

Current details and documentation requirements are at bsis.ca.gov, or call BSIS at (916) 322-4000.

If BSIS tells you the course is required in your case, the sequence and pricing are the same as for anyone else. See “How do I get an exposed firearm permit in California?”

You need to show that you are a US citizen or a lawful permanent resident. We accept any one of these:

– US Passport or US Passport Card
– US Birth Certificate
– Certificate of Naturalization
– Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
– DD-214 (military discharge document)

What does not qualify:

– A work permit or Employment Authorization Document (EAD)
– A visa of any kind
– A non-US passport
– A driver’s license on its own

If a work permit is all you have, we cannot enroll you in the firearms course. This requirement comes from BSIS, not from us, and we cannot make an exception.

Bring the original document with you, not a photocopy. Along with proof of status, bring a valid state ID and your Social Security number.

We check the document at intake. We do not issue, order, or certify copies of any of these records. If you need a birth certificate, see “How do I get a copy of my birth certificate?”

You order it from the vital records office where you were born. Valley Guard Training does not issue, order, or request birth certificates for students.

– Born in Los Angeles County: the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk at lavote.gov. You can request online, by mail, or in person, and in many cases an in-person request is same-day.
– Born elsewhere in California: the county recorder for that county, or California Department of Public Health Vital Records.
– Born in another state or a US territory: the CDC keeps a directory of every state’s vital records office at cdc.gov/nchs/w2w. Find your state there and follow their process.

Ask for an authorized certified copy, not an informational copy. Informational copies are stamped as not valid for establishing identity, and we cannot accept one as proof of citizenship. Only certain people are eligible to request the authorized version — usually the person named on the record, a parent, or a legal guardian.

Out-of-state requests usually have to be mailed and can take several weeks, so start early if this is the document you are counting on.

One thing worth knowing before you go to the trouble: a birth certificate is not the only acceptable proof. A US passport, US passport card, DD-214, certificate of naturalization, or green card all work just as well for the firearms permit. If you already have any of those, you do not need a birth certificate at all. See “What counts as proof of citizenship for a firearms permit?”

Four range qualifications over the two-year life of the permit — two in each twelve-month period, with no two closer than four months apart.

Before each of the four qualifications, you must complete the two-hour review course in use of force and de-escalation. That is four separate reviews across the permit term, not one. There is also a written firearms examination, and BSIS requires a minimum score of 85%.

How the windows work:

– Year one: two qualifications, at least four months apart
– Year two: two more, at least four months apart
– A qualification shot on the first day of a window counts, and so does one shot on the last day. The windows are inclusive.

Every caliber listed on your permit has to be qualified each time, not just the one you carry most.

Each qualification produces a qualification sheet. Keep every one of them — you need all four in hand at renewal, and a lost sheet is not always replaceable.

The easiest way to stay on top of all this is a free GuardBoss account. Sign up at guardboss.com/signup — it costs nothing — and you can:

– Enter your firearm permit and guard card with their expiration dates
– Get renewal reminders before each deadline instead of trying to remember four windows
– Photograph each qualification sheet and upload it, so you have a copy even if the paper goes missing
– Download your training certificates any time an employer asks for them

Quals one through three take about two hours. Qual four takes about three hours, because we assemble your renewal packet at that visit. Arrive at least three hours before closing.

If you have already missed a window, see “Can I renew my permit if I missed my requalifications?”

Any day we are open — but your PSI psychological assessment has to be done first. That is step two of four, and we cannot start you in the firearms course without it. See “How do I get an exposed firearm permit in California?”

Once your PSI is complete, walk in during business hours. No appointment, no set start date, no scheduled class. Pay on arrival at the front door.

Hours:

– Monday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
– Tuesday: closed
– Wednesday: closed
– Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
– Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
– Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
– Sunday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

We are also closed July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, plus the full seven days before July 4 and the full seven days before January 1. City of Los Angeles restrictions on ammunition sales close the entire building during those weeks, so plan around late June and late December.

Plan on two to three days, not one. The course runs more than eight hours of written material plus paperwork, the written exam, and range qualification, and we do not compress it to fit a schedule. Come in early in the day — arriving close to closing means you will not get meaningful time in. For any range day, get here at least three hours before we close.

Range qualification is shot on site. We are at 16140 Cohasset Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406. Phone (818) 989-7825.

$491 total for one caliber. That is $312 collected by Valley Guard Training and $179 paid directly to other parties.

What we collect — $312:

– $200 firearms course — classroom, range training, firearm use for the class, targets, and 50 rounds of ammunition for one caliber
– $112 firearms Live Scan fingerprinting

What you pay outside Valley Guard Training — $179:

– $69 PSI psychological assessment, paid directly to PSI
– $110 BSIS firearms permit application fee, paid to the state

Qualifying with additional calibers during the initial training is $70 each. So two calibers is $561, three is $631.

Adding a caliber later, after your permit has been issued, is a different price — see “Can I add another caliber to my firearms permit later?”

These figures cover getting the permit. They do not include requalifications, which you pay for separately over the two-year permit term — see “How much does a firearms requalification cost?” We do not charge anything for the renewal itself.

No. If you did not complete all four range qualifications during the permit term — two in each twelve-month period, at least four months apart — you are not eligible to renew. There is no catch-up and no makeup qualification.

Your current permit stays valid until the expiration date printed on it. Missing qualifications does not cancel it early, so you can keep working armed until it runs out.

To carry armed after that, you go through the permit process again from the start: an active guard card, the PSI psychological assessment, the firearms course and range qualification with us, and a new BSIS application. That is the full $491 for one caliber.

Start early. BSIS accepts applications 60 to 120 days before your current permit expires, and using that full window is what keeps you from having a gap where you cannot work armed.

If you are partway through — say you have two or three qualifications done and are still inside your windows — do not assume it is lost. Come in and finish them. Call (818) 989-7825 or write in through Contact and we will look up exactly where you stand.

To avoid this next time, a free GuardBoss account will track your permit expiration and remind you before each qualification window. Sign up at guardboss.com/signup.

Possibly. A qualification run by your employer counts only if it meets every BSIS requirement:

– Conducted by a BSIS-certified firearms instructor
– At a BSIS-approved training facility
– Using the official BSIS course of fire
– Documented on a proper qualification sheet
– With the two-hour use-of-force and de-escalation review completed beforehand

If any one of those is missing, the qualification does not count toward your four.

Ask your employer for the qualification sheet every single time, and keep it. A range day with no paperwork is a range day that did not happen as far as BSIS is concerned, and you will not find out until renewal — which is too late to fix it.

We can only submit qualifications we ran ourselves. We cannot add another provider’s session to your packet, and we cannot verify or sign off on training we did not conduct.

If you are unsure what your employer’s range day produced, bring the paperwork in and we will tell you what you are holding. We are at 16140 Cohasset Street, Van Nuys.

A free GuardBoss account is a good place to keep these — upload a photo of each qualification sheet as you get it, and they are all in one place at renewal time. Sign up at guardboss.com/signup.

Four things:

– A valid state-issued photo ID
– Your Social Security number — the card or just the number
– Proof of US citizenship or lawful permanent residence — birth certificate, US passport or passport card, DD-214, certificate of naturalization, or green card. A work permit does not qualify.
– Your guard card number. It has to be active before you can start.

Your PSI psychological assessment must already be complete. We cannot start you in the course without it.

Payment is due on arrival — $312, and we take cash or card. The card has to be in the name of the person paying, present at the time of payment.

You do not need to bring a firearm. Rental is included in the course fee, and it is honestly the easier way to do it — one less thing to clean at the end of a long day. If you would rather shoot your own, you are welcome to. Either way, the ammunition for your initial qualification is included.

Two practical things. Plan for two to three days, not one — come in early in the day, and for any range day arrive at least three hours before we close. And bring a jacket if you run cold, plus a drink or a snack. It is a long stretch of classroom work before you get to the range.