TexasCHLforum.com

For someone familiar with guns and with the law in general, then the mandated length of the class is more than that person needs. But there is a huge number of people who show up at CHL classes with pretty much zero knowledge both of the law and of guns as their starting point. It seems reasonable those particular students who get a mail order license from somewhere to save some money are more likely to blunder into breaking a Texas law they never heard of. As the sheer numbers of CHL's increases, the chances of unfavorable events in the news goes up too. We have seen the feeding frenzy that went on in Florida. From what was said in my instructor's class, the DPS worries a lot about that and wants to make sure we are educating the students to protect our right to carry. Considering the improvements DPS has made in the CHL program, I don't see that the fee is all that big of a deal. It's not even an annual fee. My other license fees are all annual and if I add up 5 years worth, it comes out to a heck of a lot more.

It isn't always bad instructors. A person's ability to just walk into a day long class and learn everything in one sitting is limited. Any instructor will tell you it is a challenge to hold the attention of the class for 10 hours no matter how good you are at teaching. Important information will not be recalled a week, a month, or a year later by most people. If there is one thing that Instructors must impress on their classes it is that the class is NOT the only time the student should hear and study the info. Every student must be willing to study and refresh their memory and understanding of the laws and safe gun handling on an ongoing basis through the take home materials provided, the CHL16, this forum, etc.

Don't own a badge. The DPS instructors in our class do not like them one bit. They feel they could be used as grounds for charges of impersonating a LEO if people think it is a LEO badge. Even if the DPS was not keenly against having one, I would not want one. In the event you really need to prove to someone you are a CHL, then that is what the actual license is for. As for the shirt, that's open to argument. It's advertising. I've seen some that were really good looking and a credit to the instructor. A shirt as you describe in a setting other than a CHL class maybe not so much. I would personally be wondering if a shooter just decided I would be the first to go. Advertising can help or hurt. I have seen the wrap on Crossfires' truck and it is awesome! It makes such a good impression, it brings in business. I've also seen sloppy advertising on a dirty older truck I saw down in Georgetown and it did not make a good impression at all. Professionalism is a no brainer in any business.