TexasCHLforum.com

RHZig wrote:But we do deal with a lot of idiots and people that have no business carrying a CHL.

I think that number might be going way up in the next few months. I guess time will tell, but wouldn't the number of officers who "it doesn't mean anything to 'em if you have a CHL" also increase?

I know some of these people who shouldn't be getting a CHL (IMHO), and I know some who actually got theirs for a "get out of a speeding ticket" purpose (stupid, I know), but I'm just pointing out some examples.

srothstein, great post. I take it you are in law enforcement?

There is no "wink-and-nod" conspiracy between LEOs and CHL holders. Any inference otherwise is, I believe, naive.

I don't know if it's naive or not, I'm just posting based on what I've read on this very site, and what people talked about during my CHL course. For me personally, I have not seen this to be the case as I already mentioned.

Those are some good stats, but I think we'll find your estimate to be low, and that there will be a sharp rise in the number of applicants for the end of 2008, going into 2009. This is just me pulling thoughts out of thin air though. We'll see.

Guys, please understand that I'm not complaining, angry, worried, or anything at all really. I only posted because I was interested in what the possibility of an increase in CHL holders might mean for us. Just as a curiosity, nothing more. :)

I'm not saying CHL = no ticket, and I don't think any of you are accusing me of it either. In fact, I got a ticket shortly after getting my CHL, and I normally don't get them! (That officer was a real jerk BTW)

My friend's wife has to reschedule her missed CHL course. They are booked SOLID for over a month, and the classes they do have openings in are for just one or two people. There is definitely a huge rush on getting CHL right now. The number is growing by leaps and bounds right now, and LEO will have more frequent contact with CHL holders.

With the rapid expansion of CHL holders over recent months, I think we are going to experience a change or shift in the thinking of LEO towards CHL holders. Not necessarily in a negative way, but perhaps a shift down on the totem pole, if you will.

With tens of thousands of new CHL'ers on the streets in Texas, LEO will encounter them more often. Frankly speaking, they will not be special or unique anymore. I've read many stories, even some on this forum about the "wink and a nod" treatment CHL holders often get instead of a written citation for a minor traffic violation. In the future, there will be a much larger percentage of the population that LEO encounters that do have a CHL, and since we are required to produce the CHL when showing ID, the LEO will surely know this fact about each and every one of them. How could they let a CHL holder "off the hook" then? There might be so many that it would affect the department's revenue. If I decide to let one in twenty go, no big deal. If I let eight in twenty go, big problem!

The perception of "certified good guy" will likely go as well as it gets too diluted to mean anything.

This is not entirely a bad thing, as I would rather see an armed population than get out of a speeding ticket for myself. It's just a thought I had while driving home tonight, so I thought I'd throw it up here for discussion. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.