How do I get a concealed handgun license (CHL) in Texas?

July 29, 2009- Austin, TX--     How do I get a concealed handgun license (CHL) in Texas?  This is a question that I receive a lot.  People want to learn how to meet the state requirements so they can carry a gun to protect themselves.  I think that it is a good idea for people to get and maintain their CHL licenses for personal protection and I have written a guide below.  Click on the link below to apply online:

TX DPS Fees: 

Standard ..........................................................................................................$140.00

Senior Citizen (60 or older) ..............................................................................$70.00

Indigent..............................................................................................................$70.00

Active or Retired Peace Officer........................................................................$25.00

Active or Retired Judicial Officer.......................................................................$25.00

Retired Federal Officer.....................................................................................$25.00

Felony Prosecutor ...........................................................................................$0.00

Other Prosecutor (not prosecuting felony cases) ..........................................$140.00

Active Military ..................................................................................................$0.00

Veteran ...........................................................................................................$70.00

Fingerprints: $10 +/-

CHL Training/ Range fees:  $150-600

Ammunition: $25-30 per box of handgun rounds

1.  Make sure you meet the Texas state requirements.  Non-residents may also apply but must receive training in Texas.    

GC $411.172. 'ELIGIBILITY. (a) A person is eligible for a license to

carry a concealed handgun if the person:

(1) is a legal resident of this state. for the six-month period

preceding the date of application under this subchapter or is otherwise

eligible for a license under Section 41 1. I7 3(a);

(2) is at least 21 years of age;

(3) has not been convicted of a felony;

(4) is not charged with the commission of a Class A or Class B

misdemeanor or an offense under Section 42.01, Penal Code, or of a

felony under an information or indictment;

(5) is not a fugitive from justice for a felony or a Class A or Class

B misdemeanor;

(6) is not a chemically dependent person;

(7) is not incapable of exercising sound judgment with respect to

the proper use and storage of a handgun;

(8) has not, in the five years preceding the date of application,

been convicted of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor or an offense

under Section 42.01, Penal Code;

(9) is fully qualified under applicable federal and state law to

purchase a handgun;

(10) has not been finally determined to be delinquent in making a

child support payment administered or collected by the attorney

general;

(11) has not been finally determined to be delinquent in the

payment of a tax or other money collected by the comptroller, the tax

collector of a political subdivision of the state, or any agency or subdivision

of the state;

(12) has not been finally determined to be in default on a loan

made under Chapter 57, Education Code;

4 GC M11.172. TEXAS CONCEALED HANDGUN LAWS

(13) is not currently restricted under a court protective order or

subject to a restraining order affecting the spousal relationship, other

than a restraining order solely affecting property interests;

(14) has not, in the 10 years preceding the date of application,

been adjudicated as having engaged in delinquent conduct violating a

penal law of the grade of felony; and

(15) has not made any material misrepresentation, or failed to

disclose any material fact, in an application submitted pursuant to

Section 411.174 or in a request for application submitted pursuant to

Section 411 .I 75.

(b) For the purposes of this section, an offense under the laws of this

state, another state, or the United States is:

(1) a felony if the offense, at the time of a person's application for

a license to carry a concealed handgun:

(A) is designated by a law of this state as a felony;

(B) contains all the elements of an offense designated by a law

of this state as a felony; or

(C) is punishable by confinement for one year or more in a

penitentiary ; and

(2) a Class A misdemeanor if the offense is not a felony and

confinement in a jail other than a state jail felony facility is affixed as a

possible punishment.

(c) An individual who has been convicted two times within

thelo-year period preceding the date on which the person applies for

a license of an offense of the grade of Class B misdemeanor or greater

that involves the use of alcohol or a controlled substance as a statutory

element of the offense is a chemically dependent person for purposes

of this section and is not qualified to receive a license under this

subchapter. This subsection does not preclude the disqualification of

an individual for being a chemically dependent person if other

evidence exists to show that the person is a chemically dependent

person.

(d) For purposes of Subsection (a)(7), a person is incapable of

exercising sound judgment with respect to the proper use and storage

of a handgun if the person:

(1) has been diagnosed by a licensed physician as suffering from

a psychiatric disorder or condition that causes or is likely to cause

substantial impairment in judgment, mood, perception, impulse

control, or intellectual ability;

(2) suffers from a psychiatric disorder or condition described by

Subdivision (1) that:

(A) is in remission but is reasonably likely to redevelop at a

future time; or

(B) requires continuous medical treatment to avoid redevelopment;

(3) has been diagnosed by a licensed physician or declared by a

court to be incompetent to manage the person's own affairs; or

(4) has entered in a criminal proceeding a plea of not guilty by

reason of insanity.

TEXAS CONCEALED HANDGUN LAWS GC $411.173. 5

(e) The following constitutes evidence that a person has a psychiatric

disorder or condition described by Subsection (d)(l):

(I) involuntary psychiatric hospitalization in the preceding

five-year period;

(2) psychiatric hospitalization in the preceding two-year period;

(3) inpatient or residential substance abuse treatment in the

preceding five-year period;

(4) diagnosis in the preceding five-year period by a licensed

physician that the person is dependent on alcohol, a controlled

substance, or a similar substance; or

(5) diagnosis at any time by a licensed physician that the person

suffers or has suffered from a psychiatric disorder or condition

consisting of or relating to:

(A) schizophrenia or delusional disorder;

(B) bipolar disorder;

(C) chronic dementia, whether caused by illness, brain defect,

or brain injury;

(D) dissociative identity disorder;

(E) intermittent explosive disorder; or

(F) antisocial personality disorder.

(f) Notwithstanding Subsection (d), a person who has previously

been diagnosed as suffering from a psychiatric disorder or condition

described by Subsection (d) or listed in Subsection (e) is not because

of that disorder or condition incapable of exercising sound judgment

with respect to the proper use and storage of a handgun if the person

provides the department with a certificate from a licensed physician

whose primary practice is in the field of psychiatry stating that the

psychiatric disorder or condition is in remission and is not reasonably

likely to develop at a future time.

(g) Notwithstanding Subsection (a)(2), a person who is at least 18

years of age but not yet 21 years of age is eligible for a license to carry

a concealed handgun if the person:

(1) is a member or veteran of the United States armed forces,

including a member or veteran of the reserves or national guard;

(2) was discharged under honorable conditions, if discharged

from the United States armed forces, reserves, or national guard; and

(3) meets the other eligibility requirements of Subsection (a)

except for the minimum age required by federal law to purchase a

handgun.

(h) The issuance of a license to carry a concealed handgun to a

person eligible under Subsection (g) does not affect the person's

ability to purchase a handgun or ammunition under federal law.

2.  Follow these application guidelines.  You can also apply online by CLICKING HERE.

GC $411.174. APPLICATION. (a) An applicant for a license to carry

a concealed handgun must submit to the director's designee described

by Section 411 . I7 6:

(1) a completed application on a form provided by the department

that requires only the information listed in Subsection (b);

(2) two recent color passport photographs of the applicantL

except that an applicant who is younger than 21 years of age must

submit two recent color passport photographs in profile of the applicant;

(3) a certified copy of the applicant's birth certificate or certified

proof of age;

(4) proof of residency in this state;

(5) two complete sets of legible and classifiable fingerprints of the

applicant taken by a person appropriately trained in recording fingerprints

who is employed by a law enforcement agency or by a private

entity designated by a law enforcement agency as an entity qualified

to take fingerprints of an applicant for a license under this subchapter;

TEXAS CONCEALED HANDGUN LAWS GC§411.175. 7

(6) a nonrefundable application and license fee of $140 paid to

the department;

(7) a handgun proficiency certificate described by Section

411.189;

(8) an affidavit signed by the applicant stating that the applicant:

(A) has read and understands each provision of this subchapter

that creates an offense under the laws of this state and each provision

of the laws of this state related to use of deadly force; and

(B) fulfills all the eligibility requirements listed under Section

411.172; and

(9) a form executed by the applicant that authorizes the director

to make an inquiry into any noncriminal history records that are necessary

to determine the applicant's eligibility for a license under Section

41 1 .I 72(a).

(b) An applicant must provide on the application a statement of the

applicant's:

(1) full name and place and date of birth;

(2) race and sex;

(3) residence and business addresses for the preceding five

years;

(4) hair and eye color;

(5) height and weight;

(6) driver's license number or identification certificate number

issued by the department;

(7) criminal history record information of the type maintained by

the department under this chapter, including a list of offenses for which

the applicant was arrested, charged, or under an information or indictment

and the disposition of the offenses; and

(8) history during the preceding five years, if any, of treatment

received by, commitment to, or residence in:

(A) a drug or alcohol treatment center licensed to provide drug

or alcohol treatment under the laws of this state or another state; or

(B) a psychiatric hospital.

(c) The department shall distribute on request a copy of this

subchapter and application materials.

3. Get trained.  CLICK HERE.  Find an instructor that gives real life training to meet your needs.  Is a classroom setting best for you?  Are you going to learn how to defend yourself from a violent attack by listening to a lecture?  If so, find just any instructor and take the minimum to get your CHL.  Anyone can qualify on the practical section of the exam.  Or.. You can decide that the reason that you want your CHL is to protect yourself and find an instructor that goes beyond the basic requirements and make the most of your time.

GC $41 1 .I 88. HANDGUN PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT. (a) The
director by rule shall establish minimum standards for handgun profi18
GC§411.188. TEXAS CONCEALED HANDGUN LAWS
ciency and shall develop a course to teach handgun proficiency and
examinations to measure handgun proficiency. The course to teach
handgun proficiency must contain training sessions divided into two
parts. One part of the course must be classroom instruction and the
other part must be range instruction and an actual demonstration by
the applicant of the applicant's ability to safely and proficiently use the
category of handgun for which the applicant seeks certification. An
applicant may not be certified unless the applicant demonstrates, at a
minimum, the degree of proficiency that is required to effectively
operate a handgun of.32 caliber or above. The department shall
distribute the standards, course requirements, and examinations on
request to any qualified handgun instructor.
(b) Only a qualified handgun instructor may administer a handgun
proficiency course. The handgun proficiency course must include at
least 10 hours and not more than 15 hours of instruction on:
(1) the laws that relate to weapons and to the use of deadly force;
(2) handgun use, proficiency, and safety;
(3) nonviolent dispute resolution; and
(4) proper storage practices for handguns with an emphasis on
storage practices that eliminate the possibility of accidental injury to a
child. (c) The department by rule shall develop a continuing education
course in handgun proficiency for a license holder who wishes to
renew a license. Only a qualified handgun instructor may administer
the continuing education course. The course must include:
(1) at least four hours of instruction on one or more of the
subjects listed in Subsection (b); and
(2) other information the director determines is appropriate.
(d) Only a qualified handgun instructor may administer the proficiency
examination to obtain or to renew a license. The proficiency
examination must include:
(1) a written section on the subjects listed in Subsection (b); and
(2) a physical demonstration of proficiency in the use of one or
more handguns of specific categories and in handgun Safety procedures.
(e) Only a qualified handgun instructor may administer the proficiency
examination to modify a license. The proficiency examination
must include a physical demonstration of the proficiency in the use of
one or more handguns of specific categories and in handgun safety
procedures.
(f) The department shall develop and distribute directions and
materials for course instruction, test administration, and recordkeeping.
All test results shall be sent to the department, and the
department shall maintain a record of the results.
(g) A person who wishes to obtain or renew a license to carry a
concealed handgun must apply in person to a qualified handgun
instructor to take the appropriate course in handgun proficiency,
demonstrate handgun proficiency, and obtain a handgun proficiency
certificate as described by Section 411.189.
TEXAS CONCEALED HANDGUN LAWS GC 3411.1882. 19
(h) A license holder who wishes to modify a license to allow the
license holder to carry a handgun of a different category than the
license indicates must apply in person to a qualified handgun
instructor to demonstrate the required knowledge and proficiency to
obtain a handgun proficiency certificate in that category as described
by Section 411 .I 89.
(i) A certified firearms instructor of the department may monitor any
class or training presented by a qualified handgun instructor. A qualified
handgun instructor shall cooperate with the department in the
department's efforts to monitor the presentation of training by the qualified
handgun instructor. A qualified handgun instructor shall make
available for inspection to the department any and all records maintained
by a qualified handgun instructor under this subchapter. The
qualified handgun instructor shall keep a record of all certificates of
handgun proficiency issued by the qualified handgun instructor and
other information required by department rule.

The instructor sends in your attendance report and qualification form and you should receive your license in 4-6 weeks from Texas DPS.

   

Look at Texas Concealed weapons laws HERE.

Texas CHL FAQ's HERE. 

Concealed handgun rights in 27 states (list) HERE. 

New Texas Concealed handgun license HERE. 

Texas CHL Instruction HERE. 

This article was provided by Robb Hamic as a courtesy to Texans who want to get their CHL licenses.

You can reach Robb Hamic by e-mail: robb@israelicombatshooting.com or check out his websites: ICS or SSD.

Comments

[Julie Sanderson]

Now I know how to do it. The state website was too confusing. Do you do fingerprints? How much is your training class? Why is yours better than the others offered?