Poll: Reasons you have not gotten a CHL?

[ryoung]

I suspect some have not applied for a CHL because they have been effectively brainwashed by the media and the public education system. After years of indoctrination they now believe that guns are evil, that guns kill people, and that only criminals have guns. All lies of course, but the lefty's know that if you tell a lie long enough, people will believe it.

RY

[sqShane]

My reason is that I work at a state university. Not only can I not carry concealed there, but I cannot even have a gun in my car parked in the parking lot of my building either. So five days per week, to and from work, I couldn't carry.

Shane

[eric]

Many people have misconceptions about carrying a handgun, I had mine, only thought was being a gun toter, class was coming up which i registererd for and decided if i didn't do this i will kick my butt and wish i did because of gun toter, what a stupid thought, great class, feel good, no problems in 2 yrs with more to come. don't carry if you don't want to but have the option, give it a shot, it's worth a feeling of security for all.

[Kythas]

I did not hesitate to take my CHL class, which only took 8hr's, after selling gun's to customer's as I work at Academy, and hearing about the ordeal they just had the day before. I borrowed the money to take the class. To the people who have mentioned "why not break the class's down into seperate 2hr event's" that would be even more of a waste of time and energy having to adjust your schedule around 4-5 seperate class's, that's not very good time management imho.

Also concerning the online course idea, who's gonna take your finger print's and notarize your affidavit's? CHL class's usually take place on either sat or sun but some offer 3-4 class's a week.

I hate to do this, but I'm going to anyway:

[/grammar Nazi mode]

Never use an apostrophe to pluralize a word. Ever. It's never right.

For a quick guide, check out http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif

[/grammar Nazi mode off]

That is all. We now return you to your regular forum discussion.

[KBCraig]

[/grammar Nazi mode]

Never use an apostrophe to pluralize a word. Ever. It's never right.

The downside of playing grammar Nazi, is that you will invariably forget to dot your i's and cross your t's.

And yes, that is the correct usage of an apostrophe to create a plural.

[Mike1951]

Apostrophe is correct to show plural possessive, not just plural.

[Liberty]

I don't know much about apostrophes, but I think its outright rude to publicly correct someone on such a thing. This isn't a English class, and the posters message was clear enough.

[mr.72]

I don't know much about apostrophes, but I think its outright rude to publicly correct someone on such a thing.

I happen to agree with Proverbs Ch. 9 on this issue:

7 "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;
whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.

8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

Judging from the reaction people have routinely on many internet forums when they are offered correction, it appears that "mockers" and "the wicked" are rather common. Although I think maybe a PM to the poster could have instructed that person without inviting the accusation of it being rude. I wouldn't regard this as a public rebuke any more than it is just sort of a PSA... how to use apostrophes 101.

BTW please do correct me if I am wrong on an internet forum, even if it's about apostrophes. The last thing I want to do is be wrong on the internet

Getting back on topic, I think the license fee, the cost of the class, and the time required for the class all stack up to make it too much of a burden, either monetary or time or both. I am surprised this doesn't get more play as a civil rights issue. Clearly if we required $300 worth of classes and license fees, plus a day or more worth of leisure time to register someone to vote we would find Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson pounding the podium without delay.

I sold a guitar to finance my CHL class + license fee and had to take a day off of work to attend the class. I want my wife to get her CHL but we just can't find the money in the budget for it, and even if we could we would not have the money for another gun. 7 years of the tech economy sitting at idle while the cost of living goes up has not made it easy to find an extra couple of hundred bucks here and there.

IMHO, DPS should operate a firing range for the qual (which takes one person about 5 minutes), you pay $25, take a written test (the same test, is fine), do the 5-minute shooting qual and you should leave with a temp license just like with a driver's license.

[seamusTX]

IMHO, DPS should operate a firing range for the qual (which takes one person about 5 minutes), you pay $25, take a written test (the same test, is fine), do the 5-minute shooting qual and you should leave with a temp license just like with a driver's license.

It costs about $100,000 a year to operate a shooting range with minimal facilities (I know this for a fact). DPS could not possibly operate a range in every county only for the purpose of CHL tests and possibly use by their own personnel.

The Texas CHL qualifications are what they are because they were what was politically viable in 1995. Over time, some requirements will be relaxed as they are seen to be unnecessary. That already happened with 30.06 and the restrictions on hospitals, places of worship, and government meetings in 46.035.

- Jim

[Rub N Smoke]

I voted didnt know how to go about getting one. I have now done the class andam waiting on my license. But that is the reason I didnt take it earlier...

[mr.72]

IMHO, DPS should operate a firing range for the qual (which takes one person about 5 minutes), you pay $25, take a written test (the same test, is fine), do the 5-minute shooting qual and you should leave with a temp license just like with a driver's license.

It costs about $100,000 a year to operate a shooting range with minimal facilities (I know this for a fact). DPS could not possibly operate a range in every county only for the purpose of CHL tests and possibly use by their own personnel.

OK, Jim-

I wonder if your $100K/year cost of operating a shooting range applies to commercial/public shooting ranges? My suggestion is more about adding a range and on-the-spot licensing facility to an existing DPS licensing facility such as the driver's license office.

Adding it up in my head, it seems to me DPS could whip up a range on the property they already own and cross-train a driver's-test trooper to do the qual tests for CHL applicants for far less than $100K/year. But even if it did cost $100K/year, so what? We pay taxes. We might as well get something for it. DPS has been putting CHL money in the general fund for a decade. Why not take some of it out for a while.

Anyway this is just MHO... the method they use to issue a new driver's license is far superior in terms of cost, efficiency, and convenience for the applicant compared to the CHL process. I think it would be a major improvement in the CHL process if they were to leverage a system such as this as a template, rather than try and invent a whole new system.

[seamusTX]

The cost that I refer to is for operating an outdoor range. It's for maintenance, insurance, water, electricity, taxes, etc. The state would not have to pay taxes, but they would have to pay employees to do what is done by volunteers in my range.

Most DPS facilities are in strip malls or leased space in urban or suburban areas. They would have to have an indoor range. Those are even more expensive to build and maintain. I don't have any inside information about them, but the hourly rates of $10 to $30 that they charge indicate that they are costly.

Most of the law enforcement agencies in my county do not operate ranges. Their officers go to public ranges or private clubs.

I'd be surprised if the full cost of a state trooper was less than $100,000 a year with salary and benefits.

The state legislature can set the budget any way it wants, but they keep a tight cap on most programs and even ratchet down while requiring more services. That has happened to DPS. I dug up the numbers a while ago: http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... =42&t=2732

There are 20,000,000 or so drivers in Texas, and they are a majority of voters in every district. It's in the interest of legislators to make sure that they are satisfied.

There are 300,000 CHL holders spread throughout the state. They obviously don't form a political constituency.

On the other side, there are thousands of CHL instructors and range owners who would not like to see the state take away their business.

Also keep in mind that reciprocity and NICS bypass depend upon licensees passing the background check before a license is issued.

I'm not trying to be excessively negative. I'm just explaining what I see as political reality. If you can persuade a majority of members of the House Law Enforcement Committee and the corresponding Senate committee to support your idea, and a majority of each house to approve it, and the governor to sign it, by all means go for it.

- Jim

[big 54r]

I have taken the class from el gato (may 3rd) but haven't sent my app in yet because of a uncertain feeling about things that happened when I was 25 yrs younger. I got my records from most of the local pd's but 1 place say's they don't have any record's of me being arrested there (I was in highschool at the time 84-85?) but I know I was for a traffic violation or fta of some sort something minor though.

Also haven't sent my app in for a deferred adjudication I got on a scam sting in Texas City coming from a football game at the astrodome back in '91 that i'm uncertain of (I got busted with a concealed weapon which I admit bcuz I had just got out of the military (3 month's home) and wanted some protection for my family as this was when all those transient's where jumping into people's car's if they didn't let them wash the window's etc.

I had the weapon and would do it again in those same circumstances to have protection for my family ( it was me and 5 others, 3 kids 2 young ladies I was the lone male adult) the kicker was that the cop also said I had drug's which was a BIG FAT LIE, I don't do drug's, but they got me for paraphenelia for having my mother's hemo's in the car, it was her van and she's an RN that had a whole nurses kit in the vehicle. The cop searched found the kit opened it and charged me with the hemo's, thankfully the judge through that crap out and I got Deferred for the gun but it is still on my "sheet".

So basically I don't know if I will be able to get the ccw permit or not.

[seamusTX]

Misdemeanor convictions other than domestic violence more than five years ago will not prevent you from getting a CHL. You just have to get the dispositions.

I don't know what you mean by this:

... a deferred adjudication I got on a scam sting in Texas City coming from a football game at the astrodome back in '91 that i'm uncertain of ...

- Jim

[big 54r]

seamus that statement means that the sting I got caught up in was at a apartment building where my then 7 yr. old nephew was staying with his mother and as I entered the gate 2 patrol cars swooped in on me inside the gates and said that I was involved in a "drive-by" shooting, the officers said they heard the shot's and that they came from my DIRECTION.

the officer's where inside the gates of the apartment building and I drove in thru the retracting gates and got "tagged"