Privateer Publications | Concealed Handgun License Classes

Texas Concealed Handgun License Classes

For the convenience of applicants, Chris Bird teaches the course over a period of about 12 hours on a single day. The course costs $99 per person and includes the required photographs, fingerprinting, and notarized affidavits. As courses are held on an as needed basis rather than a regular schedule, please call Privateer Publications at (210) 308-8191 or email us to arrange for a course. Classes are normally held at Chris Bird's home in Castle Hills and at Bracken Shooting Range. On successful completion of the course, the student receives a certificate and a form to accompany his or her application. All you need to bring is a handgun, preferably a semi-automatic, 50 rounds of ammunition, eye and ear protection, a hat, a notebook, and a pen or pencil.

Information about Texas Concealed Hangun License Training

The Texas Concealed Handgun Law passed the Legislature and signed by Governor George W. Bush in 1995. It took effect January 1, 1996 and is administered by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The license costs $140 and is valid for between four and five years. It expires on your birthday ($70 for senior citizens 60 years and older, and indigents). Renewal license costs $70 and is valid for five years ($35 for seniors).

The first step is to apply to the Department of Public Safety for an application package either online or by sending a postcard to Concealed Handgun Licensing Section, Texas Department of Public Safety, P.O. Box 4143, Austin, TX 78765-4143. Their telephone is (512) 424-7293/4. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/ - Click on Online Services - Concealed Handgun.

Applicants must meet the following qualifications: 21 years of age or older (18 for active military and veterans); pass a criminal record check - not convicted of, or currently charged with, a felony or with a Class A or B misdemeanor in last five years; not a fugitive from justice; not chemically dependent or of unsound mind - capable of exercising sound judgment with respect to the proper use and storage of a handgun; not delinquent in paying child support, taxes or student loan; not currently under a spousal protective or restraining order; qualified under state and federal law to buy a handgun; pass the required training course.

Even with a concealed handgun license, license holders may not carry in certain places. These include the premises or buses of schools or educational institutes; polling places; courtrooms or court offices; racetracks; secured areas of airports; correctional facilities; within one thousand feet of a place of execution on execution day; businesses that derive 51 percent or more of their revenue from the sale of alcohol for on-premises consumption; at high-school, collegiate or professional sporting events. Provided they are properly signed, hospitals, nursing homes, amusement parks, churches or places of worship, meetings of governmental entities, and private businesses. Premises do not include parking areas or driveways. It is illegal to carry while intoxicated.

Texas has reciprocal agreements to honor concealed handgun licenses with Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. In addition, Indiana also recognizes Texas concealed-handgun licenses. Visitors do not need licenses to carry concealed or openly in Alaska and Vermont.

The Texas Concealed Handgun License Course

Texas requires applicants for a concealed handgun license to pass a training course taught by a state certified instructor before the license is issued. This course takes between 10 and 15 hours and covers the following:

Safe handling and storage of firearms with particular regard for child safety
Basic handgun operation and marksmanship
Non-violent dispute resolution
Texas concealed handgun law
Use of deadly force
A written test containing 50 multiple choice and true-or-false questions
A 50-round shooting test with a semi-automatic or revolver of minimum .32 caliber. Applicants who qualify with a semi-auto may carry either action but those who qualify with a revolver may only carry a revolver.