It's really pretty simple. First, be sure you meet the eligibility requirements. In general, you must be at least 21 years of age, have a fairly clean criminal record, and current on your child support, student loans and state taxes and fees.
You must be able to show proof of residence and citizenship. Texas allows out-of-state residents and legal non-resident aliens to acquire Texas Concealed handgun licenses!
You have the option of registering with DPS and paying for your CHL in advance, or sending a check or money order along with your packet following the class. Since we provide all of your necessary paperwork and packet materials, we suggest that you do not pre-register with DPS. Pre-registering, for most people, only serves to delay the process as they must wait up to a month for their packet to arrive before they can take the class.
Next, you have to take a minimum 10 hour class from a licensed Concealed Handgun Instructor. In this class, you'll learn about eligibility requirements, legal issues, use of force and deadly force, and the safe storage and handling of firearms. We cover a few more topics, but those are required by the state. You'll take a shooting test in which you'll demonstrate your proficiency, and you'll take a written test. The state requires a score of 70% or better on both tests for you to pass.
You'll need 50 rounds of ammunition for the shooting proficiency test. The instructor will call each course of fire and give you specific instructions as you go. Our primary concern is your safety, so following instructions is very important. You'll be instructed to load a number of round into your magazine (or cylinder), told how many round you'll be firing and how many seconds you'll have. For most courses of fire, you'll have one and a half to three seconds for each shot. We'll shoot 20 rounds from 9 feet, 20 rounds from 21 feet and ten rounds from 45 feet. Although this test is designed to gauge your proficiency, we'll be happy to help you if you need it.
The target we use is the NRA B-27, and everything within the '8' ring is considered a bulls eye; worth 5 points each. Shots landing in the '7' ring are worth 4 points each, and shots outside the 7, but still in the silhouette score 3 points each. Shots in the white area are misses and worth zero. At the end of the shooting, we tally up your points and see how you did. Your shots have to add up to 175 or better to pass.
At the end of the classroom portion, we take a written test. The test is 50 questions and multiple choice. We cover all of the material that you'll see on the test, then do a thorough test review before the exam. While it's not necessary to prepare for the test in advance, a little knowledge never hurt anybody. If you'd like to bone up on the laws we'll be discussing, click here.
During the class, we take your finger prints, photograph you, complete all of the necessary paperwork, and notarize the necessary documents. Unless you need to gather supporting documentation, you'll be ready to drop your packet in the mail and get the background process moving when you leave the class.
Once you send your packet to the state, you get the exciting task of sitting and waiting... and waiting. Because of the huge influx of CHL applications this year, return times are taking as long at 120 days or more. The sooner you get your packet in the mail, the sooner you'll have plastic in hand!
Classes fill fast so REGISTER TODAY!
CLICK HERE for our Class Schedule
