I am looking at a legal form. It’s an “Eligibility Affidavit”. In order to become a Concealed Handgun Instructor in Texas there are 14 preliminary eligibility requirements listed under 37 TAC Chapter 6 and Chapter 411, Texas Government Code. Because I can answer affirmatively to all 14 statements, here are 14 things you can know about me:
- I have an established legal residence in Texas for at least 6 months.
- I’m at least 21 years of age.
- I have not been convicted of a felony.
- I am not current charged in any jurisdiction with the commission of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor, or an offense under §42.01 (Disorderly Conduct) Texas Penal Code, or of a felony under an information or indictment.
- I ma not a fugitive from justice for a felony or a Class A or Class B misdemeanor.
- I am not chemically dependent.
- I am not incapable of exercising sound judgment with respect to the proper use ans storage of a handgun.
- I have not been convicted in any jurisdiction of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor, or an offense under §42.01 (Disorderly Conduct) Texas Penal Code in the past 5 years.
- I am fully qualified under applicable federal and state laws to purchase a handgun (and that’s a whole other set of qualifications in and of itself)
- I have not been finally determined to be delinquent in making child support payments
- I have not been finally determined to be delinquent in the payment of taxes or other money.
- I am not currently restricted under a court protective order or subject to a restraining order affecting the spousal relationship.
- I have not in the past 10 years been adjudicated as having engaged in delinquent conduct violating a penal law of the grade of felony.
- I have not made any material misrepresentation or failed to disclose any material fact, on my application.
Maybe you can say those same things about yourself. Great.
My point?
Look at the sorts of things one must go through – as a preliminary minimum – in order to be a CHL instructor (or hold a CHL) in Texas. Looks like you have to be a pretty sound and law-abiding good citizen.
Furthermore, if you can know this is what it takes (in part) to obtain a CHL, then when you come across someone who is a CHL holder (at least here in Texas), you instantly can know a good deal about a person and determine what sort of person they are. You mean some Joe on the street… is he a good guy or a bad guy? You discover that Joe is a CHL holder, it’s a reasonable assumption Joe’s going to be a Good Guy.
Stuff From Hsoi 
Hsoi,
One of the things not mentioned is all of those things are verified by the government.
Getting a CHL also means that your fingerprints and pictures are on file with the government. I’m sure DNA will not be far behind as a requirement.
I would assume that the photos are scanned and made available to any authorized agency for facial recognition scanning.
So not only are CHL holders probably law abiding but they are also more likely to stay that way due to the fact it would be harder to get away with a crime.
Another thing about that list of stuff is well… on the surface it’s just a list. If you take the time to actually analyze and understand all that goes into those 14 points, what Texas Department of Public Safety has to do to fully vet, background check, etc. an applicant? It’s a lot more than a cursory glance at those 14 points would lead one to believe.
Harder to get away with a crime? Well, while that’s probably true it’s likely debateable as to that being a reason why a CHL holder wouldn’t commit a crime. I’d say a CHL holder is less likely to commit a crime because: 1. they’ve already demonstrated that they are essentially a good person (but that doesn’t remove the fact we’re human), 2. they want to keep their license, thus they must live at a higher level and to a higher standard 24-7-365 in order to keep that license. A CHL is a benefit (not a right), and if one desires to keep that benefit, one must live up to the standard. Texas has a pretty high standard.
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