PC 171b:
Firearms in Government Buildings

California Penal Code Section 171b^[1] prohibits bringing or possessing firearms in state and local government buildings. Section 171b was already in effect by 1987.

Prohibited Conduct

PC 171b(a) provides that any person who brings or possesses any of the following items within any state or local public building, or at any meeting required to be open to the public pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act or the Ralph M. Brown Act, is guilty of a public offense:

• Any firearm
• Any deadly weapon (as defined in PC 17235)
• Any knife with a blade length in excess of 4 inches
• Any unauthorized tear gas weapon
• Any taser or stun gun
• Any instrument that expels a metallic projectile by the aid of spring or air pressure

Definition of "State or Local Public Building"

PC 171b(c) covers a building or part of a building owned or leased by state or local government where public employees are regularly present to perform official duties. It excludes the locations listed in subdivision (c)(2) and buildings regularly used or intended as employee residences. The following examples qualify only if they meet those criteria.

• Legislative chambers and committee rooms are excluded to the extent they are covered by PC 171c
• Buildings that contain a courtroom, subject to PC 171b(c). Separate airport and passenger vessel terminal restrictions appear in PC 171.5^[2]
• City hall buildings and offices
• County administrative buildings
• State office buildings
• Buildings meeting PC 171b(c). Section 171b(a) separately covers meetings required to be open to the public under the specified open-meeting laws

Exemptions

PC 171b(b) provides specific exemptions for:

• Peace officers authorized to carry firearms, whether on or off duty
• Persons summoned by a peace officer to assist in making arrests or preserving the peace
• Full-time paid peace officers of another state or the federal government who are carrying out official duties while in California
• A person who has been given written permission by an authorized official of the building
• Retired peace officers with authorization to carry concealed weapons under the article beginning with PC 25450

A CCW permit alone does not exempt its holder from PC 171b. Section 171b(b)(3) exempts a licensed carrier who possesses the firearm within a building designated for a court proceeding and is a justice, judge, or commissioner of the court.

Penalties

A violation of PC 171b involving a firearm is punishable by imprisonment in county jail for not more than one year, or in state prison. The same penalty applies to the other items listed in PC 171b(a).