It is a common misconception that Utah just goes around handing out CFP's to everyone who applies. That is not the case.The Annoyed Man wrote:Utah has a different set of regs regarding charges and conviction, if I'm not mistaken. They don't care if you have charges pending. They only care if you've been convicted of those charges. (Crossfire, please correct me if I'm wrong about this.) Texas, on the other hand is interested in whether or not you have been charged with a crime, even if a conviction has not yet followed the charge. This doesn't matter if you have an old arrest and it has been disposed in your favor. It very much DOES matter if you were arrested yesterday for spousal abuse, but you haven't been convicted yet. Texas wants to know what the disposition is, and you don't have a disposition if you're still waiting to find out if you've been convicted or not.
I'm sure there are other reasons, but you'll have to do your own research.
Any pending criminal charge in any jurisdiction will stop them from issuing a license. However, they will not suspend a license, as Texas does, based on pending charges. They will revoke the license if there is a conviction for a disqualifying event.
Utah does not consider sucessful completion of probation or deferred adjudication to be a conviction, as Texas does.
Utah is tougher, though, on certain offenses. A DWI in Texas will disqualify you for 5 years. In Utah it is 6 years. And a past pattern of convictions can make you ineligible forever. As can a sexual offense against a minor, or being a registerable sex offender. FOREVER
It is true that Utah does not care if you owe money to the state of Texas for student loans, state taxes, or child support. (Texas has since dropped the student loan requirement) The Utah CFP has been, in the past, a good alternative for college students and others who were cash strapped, since the application fee was only $65.25, with a $10 renewal. Some Utah instructors, though, have done their best to even that out by charging outrageous fees for the initial class. (I have seen up to a $300 fee for a 4 hour Utah class!)
It is very sad that it has come to this. Personally, I think it is an outrage that we have to pay ANY fee to the state to exercise a right guaranteed by the United States Constitution. But, if we do, it should be only what is required to process a background check, and manufacture the license. I seriously doubt that it costs $140 to do that.
We became Utah instructors while we were putting 3 kids through college at the same time. We could barely keep those kids in housing, books, tuition, and transportation. Each of them worked while going to school, and there was no way any of them could have afforded the $140 license fee at that time. And we certainly did not meet the "poverty" requirement to get the discounted Texas CHL, even though we were living paycheck to tuition payment, eating rice and beans, and driving 10 year old beater mobiles. And most of their friends were in the same situation.
I didn't think that was a good enough reason to deny a responsible person the right of self defense then, and I don't think it is now, either.