Lowering CHL fees

[fickman]

They need to lower them for EVERYBODY. I want to get my wife one, but darn, she can already carry in the car, and that is FREE.

But she can't carry into restaurants, or the grocery store, or the dry cleaners, . . . . .but hey, $28 bucks a year. I know that's difficult to budget.


It'seither important to you, or it's not.

$56 / year for married couples (not including the class). And they don't let us pay that way... the lump sum can be a lot.

I've been around here a long time and have been saying I think our fee is too high. Families are getting squeezed in every direction... higher insurance premiums, deductibles, and pharmacy for fewer services, food, gas, and utilities have been creeping up...

We find a way, but it's not convenient, and I can expect there's thousands who are priced out of it. Yeah, we could swing it easier if my wife went back to work and we let a daycare raise our kids, but like we've said in this thread, we all have to set priorities.

What if the fee was 25% of the current cost and it allowed the people "budgeting for it" to get in a couple more quality range sessions each year? Or it allowed new gun owners leftover cash to take an advanced tactics course? Wouldn't we all benefit from that? Although some of them might squander the money saved on formula, bread, and eggs... who knows.

Somebody said "how do they afford a gun"? Well, let them eat cake!

Maybe they inherited one. Maybe they could use the saved money from government fees tobuy a nicer one. Or... likely for some... maybe they just didn't buy one. Are we going to start sounding like the Hollywood, Chicago, and New York crowd where you have to make above a certain salary to be worthy of defending yourself?

People go through seasons of life, we shouldn't assume everybody is in ours.

This is it directed at you, Birdie. This thread in general took kind of a nasty, antagonistic turn.

I apologize if I'm out of line... I should have probably saved this and reread it in an hour before posting so that it didn't come off like a soap box rant.

Bottom line: if there's any way to reduce our state fees, we should pursue it. Hopefully even millionaires would agree with that.

[texanjoker]

They need to lower them for EVERYBODY. I want to get my wife one, but darn, she can already carry in the car, and that is FREE.

But she can't carry into restaurants, or the grocery store, or the dry cleaners, . . . . .but hey, $28 bucks a year. I know that's difficult to budget.


It's either important to you, or it's not.

Yup it is difficult to budget?

Have you ever thought like millions of other Texans she doesn't want to get one?

[SewTexas]

They need to lower them for EVERYBODY. I want to get my wife one, but darn, she can already carry in the car, and that is FREE.

hmmm, she can't carry in Luby's, or Church, or the parking lot of the local Walmart or Target (look it up, see why I chose those particular places)....but she's fine IN her car, so that's fine....geeee, thanks, honey

[texanjoker]

They need to lower them for EVERYBODY. I want to get my wife one, but darn, she can already carry in the car, and that is FREE.

hmmm, she can't carry in Luby's, or Church, or the parking lot of the local Walmart or Target (look it up, see why I chose those particular places)....but she's fine IN her car, so that's fine....geeee, thanks, honey

see other post. SHE DOES NOT want to get one...

[SewTexas]

They need to lower them for EVERYBODY. I want to get my wife one, but darn, she can already carry in the car, and that is FREE.

hmmm, she can't carry in Luby's, or Church, or the parking lot of the local Walmart or Target (look it up, see why I chose those particular places)....but she's fine IN her car, so that's fine....geeee, thanks, honey

see other post. SHE DOES NOT want to get one...

sorry, that was not obvious in your post.

[johnferg69]

so how low would you like it? 40 for 5?

I think $75 for initial applications should do, then $45 for renewels.

Veterans should get it for cost of the card, personally. But $25/$25 sounds good for them(us).

And LEO's, and Teachers, and Judges, and Prosicuting Attorneys, and Balif's

Bailiffs? ?? Really??? TDCJ COs don't even get reduced rates!!!

[texanjoker]

so how low would you like it? 40 for 5?

I think $75 for initial applications should do, then $45 for renewels.

Veterans should get it for cost of the card, personally. But $25/$25 sounds good for them(us).

And LEO's, and Teachers, and Judges, and Prosicuting Attorneys, and Balif's

Bailiffs? ?? Really??? TDCJ COs don't even get reduced rates!!!

FYI we leo's get ours for $25. There is a kicker though. Unlike the other groups we have to get a notarized letter from work that talks about hour mental health; medical history; discipline records; what we qual with and a dept. recommendation. No other CHL group that I am aware of us had to this. Everybody else just checks the box. I find that ironic since we can already legally carry pretty much anywhere and most of us get the CHL simply to use for purchasing firearms as there is no exemption for full time paid LEO's when it comes to a gun purchase . It would be more efficient if TCLEOSE and DPS shared information, but that is just my 2 cents. We also don't have to take the course, although I personally have been through the TX course.

[gringo pistolero]

They need to lower them for EVERYBODY. I want to get my wife one, but darn, she can already carry in the car, and that is FREE.

But she can't carry into restaurants, or the grocery store, or the dry cleaners, . . . . .but hey, $28 bucks a year. I know that's difficult to budget.


It's either important to you, or it's not.

What was the State of Texas thinking? They should have sent you to argue the Voter ID law in Federal Court. A state ID card is only $16 for six years, so the annual cost is 10% what a CHL costs. Even less if you count the cost of training and fingerprints for the CHL which aren't required to vote.

You could have stood up and said, "Voting: It's either important to you, or it's not."

Case closed!

[johnferg69]

so how low would you like it? 40 for 5?

I think $75 for initial applications should do, then $45 for renewels.

Veterans should get it for cost of the card, personally. But $25/$25 sounds good for them(us).

And LEO's, and Teachers, and Judges, and Prosicuting Attorneys, and Balif's

Bailiffs? ?? Really??? TDCJ COs don't even get reduced rates!!!

FYI we leo's get ours for $25. There is a kicker though. Unlike the other groups we have to get a notarized letter from work that talks about hour mental health; medical history; discipline records; what we qual with and a dept. recommendation. No other CHL group that I am aware of us had to this. Everybody else just checks the box. I find that ironic since we can already legally carry pretty much anywhere and most of us get the CHL simply to use for purchasing firearms as there is no exemption for full time paid LEO's when it comes to a gun purchase . It would be more efficient if TCLEOSE and DPS shared information, but that is just my 2 cents. We also don't have to take the course, although I personally have been through the TX course.

So even LEO have to do a background check without a chl??

[SwimFan85]

So even LEO have to do a background check without a chl??

Thanks to 18 U.S.C. § 925(a)(1), being a LEO is no guarantee of a clean record.

[johnferg69]

So even LEO have to do a background check without a chl??

Thanks to 18 U.S.C. § 925(a)(1), being a LEO is no guarantee of a clean record.

I guess I can see that. I know a few bosses that got showed the front gate because of trouble they got in away from work. Really not sure how the state found out, I don't know if they run periodic background checks or what. Sorta like drug test, I stay clean so I never think about it.

[KRM45]

FYI we leo's get ours for $25. There is a kicker though. Unlike the other groups we have to get a notarized letter from work that talks about hour mental health; medical history; discipline records; what we qual with and a dept. recommendation. No other CHL group that I am aware of us had to this. Everybody else just checks the box. I find that ironic since we can already legally carry pretty much anywhere and most of us get the CHL simply to use for purchasing firearms as there is no exemption for full time paid LEO's when it comes to a gun purchase . It would be more efficient if TCLEOSE and DPS shared information, but that is just my 2 cents. We also don't have to take the course, although I personally have been through the TX course.

I read through this at my last renewal and just paid the $35 Veteran rate. It just wasn't worth it for me.

[Bart]

Is it just me, or has there been a steady influx of new folks around here griping about the "high cost" of a Texas CHL?

There are two popular theories.

(1) In the current economic and political climate, more people are thinking about the need to defend themselves from a variety of two legged wolves. When they compare the cost of a drivers license with the cost of a concealed handgun license, they are shocked by the disparity. As they investigate more, they realize a class and fingerprints can double the OTD cost of their initial CHL. Now we're talking $250/CHL vs. $25/DL. If they investigate even more, they find out about states where the OTD cost of a CHL is closer to $100. Maybe even less. If they found this forum while they were investigating a Texas CHL, they might want to express their opinion.

(2) It's a vast right wing conspiracy to expose government inefficiency and waste.

[jmra]

Is it just me, or has there been a steady influx of new folks around here griping about the "high cost" of a Texas CHL?

There are two popular theories.

(1) In the current economic and political climate, more people are thinking about the need to defend themselves from a variety of two legged wolves. When they compare the cost of a drivers license with the cost of a concealed handgun license, they are shocked by the disparity. As they investigate more, they realize a class and fingerprints can double the OTD cost of their initial CHL. Now we're talking $250/CHL vs. $25/DL. If they investigate even more, they find out about states where the OTD cost of a CHL is closer to $100. Maybe even less. If they found this forum while they were investigating a Texas CHL, they might want to express their opinion.

(2) It's a vast right wing conspiracy to expose government inefficiency and waste.

(3) they simply like to gripe about everything. Its like going to Disney World and complaining about how expensive the food is. I bet people drop more money on the ground and don't bother to bend over and pick it up than the amount you average annually on your CHL.

[texanjoker]

FYI we leo's get ours for $25. There is a kicker though. Unlike the other groups we have to get a notarized letter from work that talks about hour mental health; medical history; discipline records; what we qual with and a dept. recommendation. No other CHL group that I am aware of us had to this. Everybody else just checks the box. I find that ironic since we can already legally carry pretty much anywhere and most of us get the CHL simply to use for purchasing firearms as there is no exemption for full time paid LEO's when it comes to a gun purchase . It would be more efficient if TCLEOSE and DPS shared information, but that is just my 2 cents. We also don't have to take the course, although I personally have been through the TX course.

I read through this at my last renewal and just paid the $35 Veteran rate. It just wasn't worth it for me.

I almost didn't keep mine going, but knew I would regret it later when I made a firearm purchase.

Personally I'd like to see the fee lowered for all groups. With taxes going up, ect lets help out the good citizens where we can.