Background check

[urnoodle]

I realize that they get a lot of apps. I can even see it taking a bit longer when something shows up in the BG even if it has no impact on approval. It generally means more paperwork and additional controls. When there's nothing there, not even a speeding ticket. Applicants who submitted theirs a week after you, have already received the mail update, its frustrating. You would think there is an order in which it was received methodology. I realize I'm just impatient. I'm going to go take a get over myself pill and I'll be right back...

[thedeceiver]

I realize that they get a lot of apps. I can even see it taking a bit longer when something shows up in the BG even if it has no impact on approval. It generally means more paperwork and additional controls. When there's nothing there, not even a speeding ticket. Applicants who submitted theirs a week after you, have already received the mail update, its frustrating. You would think there is an order in which it was received methodology. I realize I'm just impatient. I'm going to go take a get over myself pill and I'll be right back...

My timeline was very similar to yours. 12/10 for the class (did the fingerprints a few days before), mailed on 12/11 (Sunday) and mine is currently in "Manufacturing". I, however, have no arrests, let alone convictions. Only thing I had that was a little out of the ordinary was that I was born in a different country.

[SoccerShooter]

I'm right with you.

Mine took 9 days after it was physically received, to show recieved in their system.

You would think mine like you guys is easy. No arrests, same house for 8 years, same job for 10 years, hardly even any speeding tickets.
Maybe the fact that there is nothing on file raises a red flag and they need to dig deeper.

I'm just itchin to by my next firearm, but i want to wait till i get plastic to bypass the check.

[stars200]

It looks like mine was sent in a little earlier than yours. I know from the USPS confirmation they recieved it in the mail room Dec 8 and they did not update it until the 17th. My background was the same, same house, same job, not even a speeding ticket and it did take a while to complete. I kind of expected it after looking at some of the other timelines and it being right before Christmas. Mine finally changed to Mailed on the 7th as of today it is not in the mailbox. This is where I am getting impatient. Hopefully it will be here tomorrow.

[longbow]

I'm right with you.

Mine took 9 days after it was physically received, to show recieved in their system.

You would think mine like you guys is easy. No arrests, same house for 8 years, same job for 10 years, hardly even any speeding tickets.
Maybe the fact that there is nothing on file raises a red flag and they need to dig deeper.

I'm just itchin to by my next firearm, but i want to wait till i get plastic to bypass the check.

Ya, same boat, nothing on my record, and I have been under review for like 16 days and at this point I can tell you my DL # backwards and forwards from checking the dps site.

[longbow]

Well, there is hope. My license just switched to manufacturing pending so go check yours I bet it's done too!

[Ruark]

SIGH..... 31 days under review here...........

[urnoodle]

Finally in manufacturing! Another week or so and it'll be in my hand.

[Itnkrman]

SIGH..... 31 days under review here...........

I feel your pain, I've been in review for 44 days now.

[Banjo1960]

Let me tell you what I did. My son and I took the class on December 3, 2011, my son received his license on January 7,2012 mine background was still under review until this morning it finally cleared "BUT" with a little help from the Govenor's office. Yes I emailed them last week and sure enough I received a call from Mr. Allen with DPS, CHI division and he assured me yesterday that mine status would be taken care of by yesterday afternoon. He did mention that he had heard from the Govenor's office about my complaint about taking to long of a time, when my son received his 1 month after all paper work received. Don't know you may want to contact the Gov's office, it seemed to work for me! I was just about ready to give up on my CHL.

[Skiprr]

Let me tell you what I did. My son and I took the class on December 3, 2011, my son received his license on January 7,2012 mine background was still under review until this morning it finally cleared "BUT" with a little help from the Govenor's office. Yes I emailed them last week and sure enough I received a call from Mr. Allen with DPS, CHI division and he assured me yesterday that mine status would be taken care of by yesterday afternoon. He did mention that he had heard from the Govenor's office about my complaint about taking to long of a time, when my son received his 1 month after all paper work received. Don't know you may want to contact the Gov's office, it seemed to work for me! I was just about ready to give up on my CHL.

Just to note that statutes--specifically GC §411.177--have not changed in many years regarding the timeframe of license issuance. DPS, by law, has 60 days from the date of receipt of completed application materials to either issue the license, notify the applicant that the application is denied, or notify the applicant of a delay in determining issuance.

In my opinion, that the DPS has vastly improved processing times from what they were six or eight years ago (when 90 days was a not terribly unusual wait for new applicants), does NOT make it a good idea to start issuing complaints to the office of the Governor on day 35 or 37 of the process. Never mind that state holidays for Christmas and New Years also fell into those 35 days.

My opinion only, but this is a horrendously bad idea. Dealing with one-off complaints takes time out of the days of multiple state workers, whose salaries our taxes pay. If every new CHL applicant decided that 40 days was just too long to wait--despite what the law says--and starts calling and writing DPS and the Governor's office, processing times would start to lengthen dramatically because there would be little time left to do the regular job of processing applications: every worker in the CHL division would be getting yanked around responding to individual complaints.

The DPS has 60 days. Relax. Forget about it. Let the system work. Every complaint or status request that has to be dealt with as a one-off before the agreed-upon deadline unnecessarily slows things down for everybody else. That's x number of minutes out of some worker's day for everyone who was simply too antsy to wait the 60 days. If every new applicant started doing that, can you imagine what would happen to processing times? 'Cause you can be sure the state wouldn't budget to add staff just because thousands of people begin complaining on day 40 about the speed of the 60-day process.

After 60 days, IMHO, it's game on. That's the contract: issue or notify 60 days after receipt of the completed application (meaning all materials in good order and ready to evaluate, not 60 days after you dropped your CHL-100 in the mailbox). If you tell me you'll have body work completed on my car by 5:00 p.m. Friday, that's when will show up at your shop expecting to be handed the keys. I will not show up at noon the Thursday before asking why the work isn't done, and complaining that it's taking too long.

We have to work with the DPS to help them help us. They're doing a much, much better job than just a handful of years ago.

Do I think things could be improved? Certainly. But the Texas Government Code gives them a full 60 days to do their job for each applicant. If we want it to be as fast as obtaining a driver's license, then we have to work to get the code changed via the legislature. That has to be changed top down, not bottom up with complaints that land on a case worker's desk when he or she is still well within the allotted process time.

[Ruark]

Understood, Skiprr, but part of the issue is the inequity in processing times. One person's background check is done in 2 days, while another has been waiting for 45 days and it still hasn't been completed. The latter has a right to complain, 60 days or no 60 days. If the DPS doesn't like the disruption, then they need to redesign their review process to operate in a more consistent and timely manner.

[Ruark]

SIGH..... 31 days under review here...........

I feel your pain, I've been in review for 44 days now.

Do you have any old convictions, moves, etc. that might have slowed it down?

[Banjo1960]

Sorry Skiprr, you feel that after a few call's to dps to ask a question and they can't answer a simple question, one must do what he has to do. And even the person Mr. Allen said he was sorry for the delay and that my app should have already been processed I feel I did the right thing. I do remember those long waits for CHL I was one of the first back in the early nineties who had to wait the months to receive my license. Due to a losing my job I had to feed my family and was not able to renew. So it's not my first time to have a CHL. Also have you talked to any of those people at the CHL call centers, the ones I've talk to are so rude and un-helpfull. I don't understand why we the TAX payer have to pay their salary if they can't answer a few simple questions. Again sorry you feel this way. It worked for me!

[thedeceiver]

I am kind of with Skippr and kind of with Banjo at the same time. I think generally we should wait the alotted time before checking for status updates directly with CHL personnel. Their process is going to be designed to effectively and efficiently (for a Government, that is) to process the applications. While I think it's a little crazy that it would take 60 days when I'm sure 90% of what they're doing is just mashing our names, SSN, etc. into a computer and getting a result, it is what it is.

On the other hand, all things being equal, I think it's fair if two people in the same household with seemingly similar backgrounds, criminal history, etc. have vastly different processing times, something is not right. I would NOT advocate however that people should be reading these forums, see Joe Blow get done in 30 days and wonder why you're taking 45. You could be substantially different people with very different backgrounds.

Near as I can tell, it was a good call to try and get an answer why one person in the house got theirs really quickly and another person with a similar background took significantly longer.

My momma always used to tell me that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.