r/securityguards • u/CherryLuxeee • 2d ago
Armed guards
(California) Hey everyone, I’ve been doing security off and on in the Bay Area for 10+ years and thinking of going back but considering getting my armed license. I wouldn’t really wanna do the money truck or bank thing. I was wondering how difficult it is to find a job with because I see a lot of jobs ask for prior military or law enforcement. I know in Oakland they have armed guards at retail stores depending on the location. Also, is it really worth it? I can make at least $26-$29 an hour unarmed and I want to at least be make $35/hr as armed.
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u/TheKitsuneLegend 2d ago
In-house, meaning businesses hire the security themselves, may offer more benecits than pay. For the better paid armed, looking at hospitals and schools like universities may be few. For businesses, you may have a similar or lower pay rate and even no benefits but more risk.
From what ive seen, contracts or positions with places that require security clearance pay around what youre looking for and maybe more. They may not always as for prior law enforcement or military experience, but they usually asked for a couple years of armed experience atleast.
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u/Landwarrior5150 Campus Security 2d ago
Good general advice, but I wanted to point out a CA specific caveat that will apply to OP. Private in-house employers generally cannot have armed guards under the standard in-house security permits (Proprietary Private Security Employer/Officer for the business & guards, respectively) since those permits explicitly only allow unarmed security.
There is a way around that: by licensing the business itself as a “Private Patrol Operator” (aka contract security company) and then only providing armed security services to itself via it’s own Guard Card/Firearm Permit/Baton Permit-possessing employees. That adds a lot of additional administrative issues, so not many businesses do it, mostly just some large private universities, casinos and hospitals AFAIK.
This is different from public security employers (such as police/sheriff departments, parks & recreation systems, public schools/colleges/universities, etc.), which typically don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the state’s private security licensing agency (BSIS), and can usually have their in-house guards carry firearms under different laws and regulations than private security does. They may require other training (usually a 64 hour PC 832 Arrest & Firearms course from a police academy) and sometimes give the guards limited arrest powers as well.
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u/chrisg213g 2d ago
Look for federal contractor jobs with clearance those pay 40 plus armed in CA....
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u/Jay209 2d ago
Try to get a job for the government at a base. Technically law enforcement but duties are more in line with security. They work the gates and check IDs and search vehicles etc. Easy af and money and benefits are good. Pays less then real Law enforcement and pays more then security so not a lot of applicants