TX:Aiming for a gun license

Josey1

Aiming for a gun license Something that surprised me when I came here for a job interview five years ago was a sticker on the front door of the Star-Telegram office in Bedford. It depicts a handgun surrounded by a red circle with a slash across it.News of Texans' fondness for firearms had long ago reached Connecticut, where I was living at the time. So I thought that the sticker was a joke - someone was poking fun at the local gun culture.After seeing similar stickers and signs banning concealed firearms at restaurants and stores throughout the Metroplex, I realized that the notices had more to do with a law than with humor. (OK, I'm a little thick.)Perhaps, newcomer, you too have noticed these signs. They stem from a 1995 law that allows Texans to carry concealed handguns, provided they have a license - a requirement that includes a gun safety course. So let me introduce you to an issue you may have wondered about.Texas is among 31 states that allow most people to carry concealed weapons, provided they meet certain standards, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. In Vermont, people can carry concealed handguns without a license.As expected, firearms fans support the Texas law. The gun safety courses encourage responsible gun ownership, including an emphasis on conflict resolution, said Alice Tripp, a lobbyist for the Texas State Rifle Association, an affiliate of the National Rifle Association. She applauds licensed Texans who carry concealed handguns."I think it's a very responsible idea that people want to step up to the plate and say that I'm responsible for my safety," she said.Even the Houston-based Texans for Gun Safety does not oppose the law. The group believes that guns should be regulated like other lethal products and it opposes the sale of some guns, such as rapid-fire assault weapons.But Jennifer Beazely, executive director of the group, said the state's concealed gun law has some of the strictest licensing and education requirements in the nation."We support that and do not want it to be weakened," she said.Given such support, the law is unlikely to change any time soon. To carry a concealed weapon, Texans must send in an application request card available at most Texas Department of Public Safety offices or at gun and sporting goods stores.You should then receive an application in the mail. Applicants must pay a $140 fee for the four-year license. People 65 and older as well as low-income Texans pay $70. Low-income means a single person can earn no more than $7,470 a year based on federal guidelines, the DPS reports.But you can be denied a license if you have been convicted of a felony or of some misdemeanors, such as driving while intoxicated. Evidence of drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness and failure to pay taxes, student loans and child support also could prevent you from getting a license.Applicants must take a 10- to 15-hour gun safety class taught by an instructor certified by the DPS. Instructors can charge what they want for the classes. But the cost is generally $80 to $200, said instructor Damon Ing of Euless, who charges $120.After you get a license, no limit exists for the number of guns that you can carry, according to the DPS. About 220,000 licenses have been issued.You cannot carry handguns into schools, school buses, polling places, courts, airports, racetracks or high school, college and professional sporting events."People may get upset and they may not control themselves as they should" at those events, said Tela Mange, a DPS spokeswoman.You also cannot carry guns into places that have signs banning them. That is why you see the signs at many businesses in the Metroplex, including the Star-Telegram.Don't carry guns without concealing them if you are going into public areas. According to state law, "you cannot carry a gun in a manner people find threatening," Mange said.For information, you can write the Concealed Handgun Licensing Section, Texas Department of Public Safety, P.O. Box 4143, Austin 78765-4143 or call the office at (512) 424-7293, (512) 424-7294 or (800) 224-5744.Gene Trainor, (817) 685-3956 gtrainor@star-telegram.com http://web.star-telegram.com/content/fortworth/2002/01/13/nenews/fw031513-0113-BB004-1.htm

dheffley

There is a specific sign that must be displayed to keep CHL's from carring in a place of business. The circle/slashed handgun ain't it. It carries no weight legally.

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Save, research, then buy the best.Join the NRA, NOW!Teach them young, teach them safe, teach them forever, but most of all, teach them to VOTE!

ref44

I taught the class 39 times and never heard of this before.

daddo

I am a Texan with a handgun license. A dwi will not prevent you from getting a license unless you have two convictions within 10 years, upon which you are classified as dependent. *You can carry on a school bus with permission. *You can carry in an airport, but not in the "secured" area of an airport. *A "3006" sign must be present to keep you from carrying in a buisness or other property. *You cannot carry within 300 of a school-however; if it is in your vehicle(hidden) you can pick up your kids with it in the parking lot. * Premises means- the building- not the parking lot, sidewalk, ect. You cannot carry; 1- at a race track 2- a voting place 3- a school or school activities. 4- post office 5- goverment office or building. 6- court house 7- in a secured area of an airport 8- a buisness that makes 51% or more on liquor. 9- amusment park. 10- a church. 11- while being intoxicated. 12- a hospital- with notice by 3006 sign.- (this is being revised) The training is well done and the test difficult. I was amazed however, the people who showed up at the range with guns that haven't been used in years and after borrowing my oil and cleaners still couldn't get their guns to operate well- they where kicked out! You must shoot at 1,3,7, and 15 yards and do it well or your out! You have a time limit when you shoot. Your written test must be a 70% or better to pass. You must do what the instructor tells you during the shooting or you are out- no second chances! There are backgroung checks, fingerprinting, pictures, ect. No felonies for 10 years, no misd., for 5 years. Taxes must be paid. alimony must be paid up. You must be as clean as Mr. goody two shoes. For the life of me though- I can't fiqure why we need permission to carry arms when the constitution says we have that right anyway! I quess it's one step at a time, at a time.............till it's gone! OH!- you do not have to register any gun at all - just get a license.(NO EDIT)