As a shooting instructor and gun rights attorney, one of the most common questions I get is: Where can I carry a gun with a CA CCW License? Or put another way: Where Can’t I carry a gun with a CA CCW license? In this article, I’ll try to explain both. This is current law as of January 20, 2025. Laws change frequently, so be sure to check for changes.
The good news is that, if you have a CA CCW license, you can carry most places in California. The bad news is that your CA CCW license does not allow you to carry in any state other than California. The worse news is that the California legislature keeps trying to expand the list of places within CA that you can’t carry. Many Californians choose to get non-resident CCW licenses from Arizona and Utah, which allows them to carry in many states.
Senate Bill 2, which took effect on January 21, 2024, created a list of “sensitive places” in Penal Code section 26230. Most of those were immediately challenged. The initial judge put an injunction enforcement of a lot of the “sensitive places.” Then, the 9th Circuit modified that injunction. The case is called May v. Bonta, and the 9th Circuit issued the modified injunction in September 2024. The information below reflects that modified injunction. The Court denied to re-hear the matter en banc on January 15, 2025.
So, here’s the list of places where you CAN carry a gun with a CA CCW license:
- Hospitals
- Churches
- Medical facilities
- Public transit
- Gatherings requiring a permit
- parking areas attached to these places
- “Vampire Rule” – you CAN carry in any other business that is open to the public, unless there is a sign that says firearms are prohibited.
The places listed above can also exclude firearms by posting a sign. As always, if you are asked to leave by someone with apparent authority, you must leave. Failure to leave is trespassing, and the police can arrest you.
And, here’s the current list of places that you CANNOT carry a gun with a CA CCW license:
- Bars & restaurants that serve alcohol
- Playgrounds
- Parks
- State Parks
- Casinos
- Stadiums & arenas
- Libraries
- Museums & zoos
- Any business with a sign that says firearms are prohibited
Other places where you CANNOT carry with a CA CCW License, and which were not challenged in the May v. Bonta case include:
- Schools, including K-12, colleges and universities
- Child care facilities
- Courts
- Local government buildings
- Jails and prisons
- Police stations
- Nuclear facilities
- Polling places
- Anyplace prohibited by federal or local law
- Parking lots of any of the above prohibited places
What Do I Do With My Gun When I Go To These Places?
Keep a locked lock box (small safe) in your car! It’s a really good idea to lock that safe to your car. And the locked container needs to be out of sight. A locking glove box or center console does not count!
With the exception of nuclear facilities and federally prohibited places, Section 26230(c) allows CCW licensees to “Transport a concealed firearm in the immediate area surrounding their vehicle within a prohibited parking lot area only for the limited purpose of storing or retrieving a firearm within a locked lock box in the vehicle’s trunk or other place inside the vehicle that is out of plain view.”
With respect to schools, Section 626.9(c)(5) specifically allows the exceptions in Section 26230(b), (c), and (e).
So, for most places, including schools, you can carry your gun driving into the parking lot. Then, before you enter the “sensitive place,” you can carry around your vehicle to put the gun into a locked lock box.
For more information about how to obtain a CCW license in California, check our our article here.
If you need help with your application, please give us a call. We charge $100 for a gun-related phone call and $750 for application help. If your application is denied, we will apply these fees toward representation at a court hearing to appeal the denial.
Attorney Don Hammond at Criminal Defense Heroes, P.C. is experienced with firearms and CCW issues. In addition to being an NRA certified shooting instructor, Mr. Hammond is a Critical Response Attorney for the USCCA and on the attorney list for the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network. If you need help with the CCW application process, give us a call today at 323-529-3660!
