Where Guns Are Barred
Penal Code 626.9 — possessing a firearm in a school zone, with the exceptions it lists
The school zone. A person who possesses a firearm in a place the person knows, or reasonably should know, is a school zone as the section defines it, is punished as the section specifies.
- Within a residence, business or private property that is not part of the school grounds, where possession is otherwise lawful.
- An unloaded concealable firearm in a locked container in a motor vehicle, or in a locked trunk.
- A person who reasonably believes they are in grave danger because of circumstances underlying a current restraining order against someone found to threaten them.
Those are among the circumstances in which the rule does not apply.
Federal buildings, federal school zone rules and private property owners' own rules are set out elsewhere and are not on this page. Whether a particular place is covered is a question for a licensed California attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Penal Code 626.9 — Gun-free school zone
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed California attorney.