14 hoursBSIS permit
BSIS Exposed Firearms Permit — Initial
The initial firearms course required before a security officer can carry an exposed firearm on duty in California.
The course a newly hired armed guard starts with.
- Price
- Course price
BSIS-certified · California's Central Valley
Trained. Qualified. Documented.
Exposed firearms permit training, requalification, and pre-course range prep for California security professionals and the companies that employ them — plus licensed private investigations.
- Initial firearms course
- 14 hours
- Qualification
- 50 rounds
- Requalifications
- 4 per cycle
Classroom + live-fire qualification
200 of 250 points to pass
Two a year, four months apart
What we do
Two practices, one standard of documentation.
Everything here ends in a record somebody else will read — a permit application, a qualification score, or a case report. That is the thread between training and investigations.
01 / Firearms
Firearms Training
BSIS Exposed Firearms Permit training, the recurring requalifications that keep a permit current, and the range time that makes both go better. Classroom instruction and live-fire qualification with a BSIS-certified instructor.
- Initial 14-hour exposed firearms course
- Requalification — four per two-year cycle
- Pre-course firearms prep before qualification day
- Duty handgun development for working officers
02 / Investigations
Private Investigations
Licensed investigative work, narrowed to what we do well: finding people, verifying who somebody is, and getting papers served. Documented to a standard that holds up when it is read by somebody other than you.
- Background investigations and background checks
- Locate and skip-trace work
- Process service
Credentials
Licensed, and checkable.
Every number below can be verified against the BSIS licence lookup. A training provider that will not show you theirs is telling you something.
- BSIS training facility
- Facility number
- BSIS firearms instructor
- Instructor number
- PI licence
- PI licence number
- Officers trained
- Number trained to date
Courses
Start here.
The three most people arrive looking for: the initial permit, the requalification that keeps it alive, and the range time that makes either one go better.
4 hoursBSIS permit
BSIS Firearms Requalification
The recurring range qualification and deadly-force training that keeps an existing exposed firearm permit valid.
Missing a window costs the permit — book the next one early.
- Price
- Requalification price — and any company/group rate
Half daySkills
Pre-Course Firearms Prep
Range time before qualification day — fundamentals, drawing from the holster, reloads, and accuracy on the actual course of fire.
Run the course of fire before the day it is scored.
- Price
- Pre-course firearms prep price
The standard, published
50 rounds. 200 of 250 to qualify.
The BSIS exposed firearms qualification runs from 3 to 15 yards across 5 stages — including a reload under time and support-hand shooting. We publish all of it, so you know exactly what you are being scored against before you book anything.
- 40 of 50 rounds in the scoring area to pass
- 10 misses to spare, and where you can afford to drop them
- What each stage is actually testing
- What to practise before qualification day
Your instructor
Alex Duran
13+ years law enforcement · Executive Protection Agent · BSIS Certified Firearms Instructor
Alex Duran is a security professional with over 13 years of law enforcement experience and currently works as an Executive Protection Agent in Silicon Valley, providing security for high-profile private clients.
- California BSIS Certified Firearms Instructor
- Licensed Private Investigator
- FLETC Active Shooter Response
- NRA Law Enforcement Handgun Instructor
- NRA Law Enforcement Pistol-Mounted Optics Instructor
For security companies & PPOs
Training for Security Companies & Private Patrol Operators
Silverline Firearms Training works with security companies and Private Patrol Operators (PPOs) to provide BSIS Exposed Firearms Permit training for their personnel.
Whether you need to get newly hired guards through their initial firearms training and qualification or need to keep currently armed personnel current with their required firearms requalifications, we can coordinate training for your team.
Group and company training is available for
Initial BSIS Exposed Firearms Training
Full 14-hour initial course and qualification, run for your personnel on a date that suits your roster.
Required Firearms Requalifications
The four qualifications each permit cycle requires, scheduled so nobody in your team lets a window close.
New-hire armed security personnel
Get a new hire from unlicensed to permit-eligible without them sitting on the bench waiting for a public class date.
Existing armed security teams
Keep an established armed team current, tracked, and documented as a group rather than one officer at a time.
Coordinated training dates
Multiple employees needing training at once — we coordinate dates, sequencing, and records around your operation.
Pre-course range prep for your team
Range time the day before qualification, so officers who have not shot in a while are not finding that out on the clock in front of a scorer.
Training location
Central Valley, at Exeter Gunslingers
Silverline Firearms Training is based in California's Central Valley, with classes conducted at Exeter Gunslingers in Exeter, California.
We provide BSIS exposed firearms training, requalifications, and pre-course firearms prep for security professionals throughout California.
- Range
- Exeter Gunslingers
- Where
- Exeter, CA
Within driving distance of
Visalia · Tulare · Porterville · Fresno · Bakersfield
Exact range details and class instructions are provided upon registration.
Common questions
Before you book.
Do I need a Guard Card before I can take the firearms course?
Yes. A BSIS Exposed Firearm Permit sits on top of a Security Guard Registration — the permit is not a standalone credential. Silverline does not run the Guard Card course itself, so you will obtain that separately; if your application is already in progress, talk to us before booking so we can sequence your dates properly.
What exactly does the qualification consist of?
50 rounds fired from 3 to 15 yards across five stages, including a reload under time at 10 yards and support-hand shooting at 7. Each qualifying hit is worth 5 points, a perfect score is 250, and 200 is a pass — so 40 of 50 rounds have to land in the scoring area. The full stage-by-stage breakdown is on the course of fire page.
How long is the initial firearms course?
Fourteen hours, normally run across two days: a classroom day covering the legal and safety material, then a range day for live-fire instruction and your qualification.
Where does training take place?
Exeter Gunslingers in Exeter, CA, in California's Central Valley. We train security professionals from across California. Exact range details and class instructions are provided upon registration.
Do you still offer Guard Card, baton, or pepper spray courses?
Not at present. Silverline is focused on firearms training — the BSIS exposed firearms permit, requalifications, pre-course prep, and duty handgun development. If you need Guard Card, baton, or chemical agents certification, obtain those separately and come to us for the firearms side.
Next step
Book a course, or tell us about your team.
Individual students book a date directly. Companies and PPOs get a schedule built around their roster.