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BSIS permit course

BSIS Exposed Firearms Permit — Initial

The initial firearms course required before a security officer can carry an exposed firearm on duty in California.
Request a placeAll courses
Hours
14 hours
Schedule
Two days — classroom day, then range day
Price
Course price
Validity
Permit valid 2 years from issuance

Pre-course firearms prep runs the day before qualification, so you can run the course of fire once before the day it is scored.

Outcome

What you walk away with

Eligibility to apply for a BSIS Exposed Firearm Permit

Permit valid 2 years from issuance

Curriculum

What the course covers

  • Moral and legal aspects of firearms use
  • Firearms nomenclature, safe handling, and maintenance
  • Shooting fundamentals — grip, stance, sight alignment, trigger control
  • Emergency procedures and malfunction clearing
  • Use of force and the avoidance of deadly force
  • Live-fire range instruction and the 50-round qualification course of fire
Eligibility

Before you enrol

  • Valid BSIS Security Guard Registration (Guard Card), or applied for concurrently
  • At least 21 years of age
  • Legally eligible to possess a firearm under state and federal law
  • Valid government-issued photo identification
  • PSI Firearms Assessment — recommended before the course, but not required to attend
The process

Where the PSI assessment fits

Most of the confusion about this permit is about order rather than about requirements. There is one hard rule, and either route below satisfies it.

The one hard rule

The BSIS requirement is that PSI must be passed before the Initial Firearms Permit application is submitted.

We recommend completing and passing the PSI assessment before taking the Silverline initial firearms course — but it is not required before attending. Students may complete PSI either before or after Silverline training.

Recommended
  1. Guard Card
  2. PSI Assessment
  3. Silverline Firearms Training
  4. BreEZe Application
  5. Firearms Live Scan
  6. BSIS Review

Taking the assessment first means that by the time you finish training, the only thing left is paperwork. If you receive a “did not demonstrate” result, you also find out before you have booked a course around it.

Also allowed
  1. Guard Card
  2. Silverline Firearms Training
  3. PSI Assessment
  4. BreEZe Application
  5. Firearms Live Scan
  6. BSIS Review

Training first is equally valid. Students regularly do it this way when a course date comes up sooner than a PSI appointment, or when an employer needs them trained quickly.

What each step is

Guard Card
BSIS Security Guard Registration. The firearms permit sits on top of it — it is not a standalone credential.
PSI Assessment
The BSIS firearms assessment, taken at a PSI testing centre.
Silverline Firearms Training
The initial exposed firearms course: classroom instruction, written examination, and range qualification.
BreEZe Application
The Initial Firearms Permit application, submitted to BSIS online through BreEZe.
Firearms Live Scan
Fingerprinting for the DOJ and FBI background check, using the Security Guard w/Firearm Live Scan form.
BSIS Review
The Bureau reviews the application and background check, then issues the permit.
Optional add-on

Pre-Course Firearms Prep

Not sure you’re ready for the BSIS firearms qualification?

Come in before your exposed firearms class and work on fundamentals, drawing from the holster, reloads, accuracy, and getting comfortable with your duty gun before qualification day.
This hands-on session gives you the opportunity to become familiar with the course of fire and qualification standards before the day it is scored. We’ll work directly on grip, stance, sight alignment and sight picture, trigger control, firearm manipulation, and accuracy, while identifying and correcting areas that may be affecting your performance.
Whether you’re a newer shooter, haven’t trained in a while, or simply want additional range time before qualification, we’ll help you sharpen your fundamentals, correct problem areas, and build the confidence and consistency needed on qualification day.
Add a prep sessionSee the course of fire
Close-up of a student drawing a duty handgun from the holster, magazine in hand, during pre-course firearms prep.
Drawing from the duty holster — prep-day work.
OptionalEnrolled students
When
The day before qualification, or by arrangement
Who it is for
Open to anyone with a BSIS qualification or requalification coming up
Price
Pre-course firearms prep price

What we work on

  • The BSIS course of fire, run the way it is run on qualification day
  • Grip, stance, sight alignment, and sight picture
  • Drawing from the duty holster, and reholstering safely
  • Reloads — including the one the 10-yard stage requires under time
  • Trigger control and follow-through
  • Accuracy under the qualification’s time constraints
  • Getting comfortable with your own duty gun and rig

The day before each BSIS Exposed Firearms class is reserved for optional pre-course firearms prep — range time on the course of fire before the day it is scored.

The standard

The BSIS course of fire

50 rounds from 3 to 15 yards. 200 of 250 points to qualify — 40 hits in the scoring area, with 10 misses to spare.
Rounds fired
50

From 3 to 15 yards

Perfect score
250

5 points per hit

Minimum to pass
200

40 hits in the scoring area

Misses allowed
10

Out of 50 rounds

What each stage is testing
Schedule

Dates for this course

No dates are published for this course right now. Send a request below and we will contact you with the next one.
Enrol

Request a place on this course

Tell us when suits and we will confirm the next available date. If you are booking for more than one person, use the company form instead — it is built for rosters.
Booking for a team?

We will contact you with the next available date.

If you already hold a BSIS Security Guard Registration. Leave blank if you have applied but not been issued.

Other dates that work, questions, or anything about your situation.

The day before your qualification — range time on the course of fire, drawing from the holster, reloads, and your fundamentals.

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.

Silverline firearms instructor on the line at Exeter Gunslingers, duty belt and magazines rigged, American flag flying behind the berm.
Exeter Gunslingers — Exeter, CA.
Also available

Other courses

  • 4 hours

    BSIS Firearms Requalification

    The recurring range qualification and deadly-force training that keeps an existing exposed firearm permit valid.

  • Half day

    Pre-Course Firearms Prep

    Range time before qualification day — fundamentals, drawing from the holster, reloads, and accuracy on the actual course of fire.

  • Coming soon

    Security Development — Duty Handgun

    Handgun training for working armed security professionals, built around the duty rig rather than around a qualification score.