A catch in state law gives local law enforcement officials complete discretion to interpret California’s primary requirements for anyone wanting to carry a concealed gun. Some counties grant permits to anyone who’s eligible, while others maintain a strict standard.
When a police officer pulls the trigger, it touches off a prescribed set of events, including an investigation. But that’s not the case with security guards.
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At the Crossroads of the West Gun Show near San Francisco, all of the guns on display were secured with plastic ties, rendering them inoperable. It’s an extra layer of security that isn’t found at another Crossroads show in Reno, Nevada.
If Arizona had required gun-ownership background checks for security guards, one guard might not have begun work at a Circle K convenience store where he later shot and paralyzed an unarmed teenager.
Reveal discovered armed guards with histories of civil rights violations, excessive force and corruption that did not trail them from their former lives as police, sheriff’s deputies and corrections officers.
Twelve states that reported that they are running guard applicants through an FBI records check actually are obtaining only a fingerprint-based criminal background check.
Private security companies have hired felons, people with mental health issues and former police officers accused of abuse. There are horror stories from nearly every state, and they all point to the same issue: an industry lacking oversight and accountability.
