That's a really great story about waiting for the mail. I guess it's all the excitement and anxious of just wanting something you have waited so long to receive. I remembered when I was stationed in Tennessee and waiting for my handgun carry permit to arrive. It took 3 months!!! To make matters worse, I had to go to Washington DC when my HCP would arrive. Since I was gone for a month, the post office thought I moved and sent back my HCP to Nashville
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so I called Tennessee Highway Patrol where my HCP was located. Sure enough it was sent back to THP, but they mailed it back priority and got it in 2 days!!!
At least in Texas, DPS allows you to view the progress of your application. In Tennessee, if you were to purchase a firearm and was a HCP holder you would still need a TICS and NICS, plus pay $10 for the background fee!!! So needless to say, I am very happy and excited to receive a Texas CHL.