Texas Concealed Carry

[dodge]

The wife and I are talking about moving to Texas after I retire my question is this. Although I currently live in Pa. and have a permit from here plus a Utah carry permit will I still have to take the class in order to obtain a permit in Texas?

 

[Omaney]

Yep

 

[MaterDei]

Good move, it's a great place to live.

You should be able to find answers to most of your questions here.

Good luck!

 

[GEM]

Plenty of fun gun stuff in TX. The class is easy.

 

[MADDOG]

Welcome

 

[Ed Ames]

The class is 4 hours, plus a 50 round qualification that adds another half hour or so depending on how many other students are in the class. You should be able to ace the test and qualification. Your total cash outlay (fee, fingerprints, class, range time, etc) should be about $250 unless you qualify for one of the discounts, and it will end up taking a day or so of your time, and a few months to fully complete.

 

[km101]

Yes, you will. But the class is now only 4-5 classroom hours plus range qualification. I know a couple of instructors and I have not heard of anyone failing the test. And Stevie Wonder could pass the range qualification!
Renewals are every 5 years and are done online. There is no range qualification for renewals.

If you are 65 or over you would qualify for a Senior Discount (half off) on the license fee, or if you are a Veteran the license fee would be $25.
You can usually find classes for about $60-65 in most urban areas. The fingerprint fee is $10.

Come on down we need more gun culture.

 

[Slotback]

C'mon down!

 

[Warp]

The class is 4 hours, plus a 50 round qualification that adds another half hour or so depending on how many other students are in the class. You should be able to ace the test and qualification. Your total cash outlay (fee, fingerprints, class, range time, etc) should be about $250 unless you qualify for one of the discounts, and it will end up taking a day or so of your time, and a few months to fully complete.

Hopefully y'all can farther improve your carry laws in each legislative session going forward.

 

[Tcruse]

The class will be something that you will want I that it is basically a review of the Texas rules that vary for other locations. Especially differences. In the castle law from day to night as to what is justified.

 

[ewrski]

$250 versus $20 in Pennsylvania..

 

[Warp]

$250 versus $20 in Pennsylvania..

Well, unlike Texas, Pennsylvania gets most things right.

Except for your crap about handgun transfers. That's the one serious blemish to PA.

 

[Red Wind]

The class is 4 hours, plus a 50 round qualification that adds another half hour or so depending on how many other students are in the class. You should be able to ace the test and qualification. Your total cash outlay (fee, fingerprints, class, range time, etc) should be about $250 unless you qualify for one of the discounts, and it will end up taking a day or so of your time, and a few months to fully complete.

Very sad. And no Open Carry. Try Arizona instead. Zero money and zero time. Instant ability to CC or OC. As close to the 1791 meaning of the 2A as you can get. Alaska, Wyoming and Vermont are in the same class. Just a bit colder.
Arkansas appears to have joined the club.. Check that out.

 

[doubleh]

Actually Texas does have open carry. You can carry on your own property and on anyone else's that gives you permission to carry. Since darn near all of Texas is private property all you gotta do is get permission and that includes being on someone's property other than your own to begin with before worrying about carrying a gun around in plain sight.

I was born and raised in the state. Times were tough there when I finished school and I had to leave to get a job. Then I started seeing the difference between it and some other states in the southwest. No public land to speak of and none where I grew up, Various other things like high property and sales taxes compared to where I live now. I now own the farm I grew up on but you couldn't drag me kicking and screaming back to the place and make me live there.

 

[Dean1818]

Texas is awesome!

 

[MADDOG]

"I wasn't born here in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could"

 

[Warp]

Actually Texas does have open carry. You can carry on your own property and on anyone else's that gives you permission to carry. Since darn near all of Texas is private property all you gotta do is get permission and that includes being on someone's property other than your own to begin with before worrying about carrying a gun around in plain sight.

I was born and raised in the state. Times were tough there when I finished school and I had to leave to get a job. Then I started seeing the difference between it and some other states in the southwest. No public land to speak of and none where I grew up, Various other things like high property and sales taxes compared to where I live now. I now own the farm I grew up on but you couldn't drag me kicking and screaming back to the place and make me live there.

No...it does not.

Not for handguns.

 

[BobTheTomato]

Be aware....Texas is very different from PA. You should visit and decide if it is really for you. And yes you need to fork over a bunch of money and get finger printed to get your CCW.

 

[JohnKSa]

Hopefully y'all can farther improve your carry laws in each legislative session going forward.

That's the general idea although the changes don't happen every legislative session. To give you an idea of the progress so far:

When the law was passed in 1995, the initial class was 10 hours. Renewals were every 4 years, and a renewal class/qualification was required at that interval.

Now, the initial class has been shortened by about half, renewals can be done online every 5 years and there is no renewal class/qualification requirement.

No...it does not.

Not for handguns.

doubleh's quote, as written, is correct, though somewhat pointless. You can open carry handguns on private property with the property owner's permission. That doesn't provide much legal leeway, but there you have it.

You are correct that the open carry of handguns on public property is not legal for non-LEOs except in some very limited circumstances.

 

[Warp]

That's the general idea although the changes don't happen every legislative session. To give you an idea of the progress so far:

When the law was passed in 1995, the initial class was 10 hours. Renewals were every 4 years, and a renewal class/qualification was required at that interval.

Now, the initial class has been shortened by about half, renewals can be done online every 5 years and there is no renewal class/qualification requirement.doubleh's quote, as written, is correct, though somewhat pointless. You can open carry handguns on private property with the property owner's permission. That doesn't provide much legal leeway, but there you have it.

You are correct that the open carry of handguns on public property is not legal for non-LEOs except in some very limited circumstances.

Exactly.

 

[Theohazard]

doubleh's quote, as written, is correct, though somewhat pointless. You can open carry handguns on private property with the property owner's permission. That doesn't provide much legal leeway, but there you have it.

Yeah, that's like if I said concealed carry is legal in DC because I can carry my handgun concealed inside my house.

 

[thefish]

Be aware....Texas is very different from PA. You should visit and decide if it is really for you.

^^^ This.
And don't get me wrong, your carry options should weigh in, but if you are thinking about retiring, packing up all your <deleted>, selling your house, saying goodbye to all your friends, and relocating to a completely different environment/climate/attitude/whatever, $250 bucks should be pretty low on your list.

Make sure its somewhere you want to retire, then worry about your permit.

And I'm with doubleh, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. No offense Texans.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Actually Texas does have open carry. You can carry on your own property and on anyone else's that gives you permission to carry. Since darn near all of Texas is private property all you gotta do is get permission and that includes being on someone's property other than your own to begin with before worrying about carrying a gun around in plain sight.

Can you provide a cite to the law that says you can carry on anyone else's property (unless it is concealed with the CHL) just because they give you permission to?

The statute that I am aware of is:
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/PE/htm/PE.46.htm#46.02

Sec. 46.02. UNLAWFUL CARRYING WEAPONS. (a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carries on or about his or her person a handgun, illegal knife, or club if the person is not:

(1) on the person's own premises or premises under the person's control; or

(2) inside of or directly en route to a motor vehicle or watercraft that is owned by the person or under the person's control.

(a-1) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carries on or about his or her person a handgun in a motor vehicle or watercraft that is owned by the person or under the person's control at any time in which:

(1) the handgun is in plain view; or

(2) the person is:

(A) engaged in criminal activity, other than a Class C misdemeanor that is a violation of a law or ordinance regulating traffic or boating;

(B) prohibited by law from possessing a firearm; or

(C) a member of a criminal street gang, as defined by Section 71.01.

(a-2) For purposes of this section, "premises" includes real property and a recreational vehicle that is being used as living quarters, regardless of whether that use is temporary or permanent. In this subsection, "recreational vehicle" means a motor vehicle primarily designed as temporary living quarters or a vehicle that contains temporary living quarters and is designed to be towed by a motor vehicle. The term includes a travel trailer, camping trailer, truck camper, motor home, and horse trailer with living quarters.

(a-3) For purposes of this section, "watercraft" means any boat, motorboat, vessel, or personal watercraft, other than a seaplane on water, used or capable of being used for transportation on water.

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), an offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

(c) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree if the offense is committed on any premises licensed or issued a permit by this state for the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Just because I give you permission to carry a firearm on MY premises does not transfer either ownership or control of MY premises to you.

Am I missing something?

 

[dprice3844444]

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/chl/index.htm forms tx
nra has ccw insurance

 

[skoro]

Welcome to the Lone Star State

will I still have to take the class in order to obtain a permit in Texas?

You'll be required to attend the class and to qualify (that's what they call it) at a pistol range with a handgun of 32 caliber or more. If you quality with a semiauto, your license will be valid for any sidearm. If you qualify with a revolver, your license will limited to revolvers only, unless that's changed very recently.

In addition to expensive, the Texas CHL is VERY slow in arriving. Count on months rather than weeks after you've submitted the mounds of documents and money.

The simple truth is that Texas is not the gun friendly nirvana that so many nonresidents seem to picture it. But it's not unreasonable like some states are.