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It was held at the Law Enforcement Training Center Annex at San Antonio College, sponsored by the Students for the Second Amendment. Instructor was the Director of South Texas Marksmanship Training Center. I do wish we could have done things like prints in class, as that ate up a lot of my day trying to take care of it, and the police headquarters charged me $20 for it. But then again, I only paid $20 to take the course, which is the best deal I've ever heard for CHL certification.

What a day. Went to class, then to Wal-Mart for passport photos, then to DPS to change my address and get temp license, then to the local police station for finger prints only to find out I had to go to the downtown headquarters for that, then went to work.

I noticed what I think are non-enforceable "no guns" signs at both police stations. The local one had a "no guns allowed" sign with a picture of a handgun crossed out on it. The downtown headquarters had a sign that said something to the effect of "concealed handgun license holders must lock their firearm in the officer locker area, violaters will be arrested." Not only are these not even close to 30.06 specs, but they aren't even allowed to post since they're a government agency, right? Maybe I should write them and inform them about their own laws.

As suggested by others, a fine for improperly posting a 30.06 or 51% sign would be nice to add to the books.

Well 30.06 seems like it pretty much includes everything, not just the building. I hope that can be changed eventually to at least allow storage in a locked vehicle.

Any idea what I should do about my online application? I think I might just cancel it and send in what I got in class. What about places to get finger prints and passport photos taken? I want to get this mailed off ASAP.

Hmm. I remember seeing the word "premises" when going over 30.06 signs, but can't find it in my handbook. Premises only defines buildings and not their parking lots and walkways. It was even a question on the test (that a 30.06 sign could not prohibit carry in a parking lot). Unless the instructor graded it wrong, I got it right. I specifically asked this question in class and got the same answer. Has this been changed? The handbook I have is 2003 - 2004 and the instructor mentioned their have been some changes, but forgot to mention what they were. Anyone know of the changes?

I see a definition of "premises" in 46.03 Places Weapons Prohibited. Maybe the instructor was thinking of that instead? I wish I could remember the exact wording of the test question though.

I don't think I'll worry much about the 51% thing. The only places I go to that serve alcohol are "normal" restaurants like Chili's, Logan's, etc. I couldn't imagine them ever being 51% locations.

Thanks for all the great info.

I completed my class tonight. The instructor will be mailing the certificates out tomorrow and I guessing I'll have it the day after. I need to get finger prints and passport photos. What's a good place to go to that does both? Will a local police department be able to do that, or the post office? I also started an application online, but didn't finish it and saved it. I got to the point where it asked me to pay the $140. The instructor said that if we completed the form online and get mailed the application packet, we must use the number they issued us and not the new number on the application packet we got in class. So, can I forget about what I filled out online and just use the number I got in class, or should I finish filling it out online? Would one be faster than the other?

Since I'm only 21, and I believe the instructor said something like once you turn 21 your prior record doesn't get taken into account (unless it's a felony) would that in any way speed up the process, since I have less background to check?

Just to double check a few things I was told in class. I couldn't remember exactly how it matched up with some things I've read. Continuing the random questions...

1) A 30.06 sign, even when posted at the entrance of a parking lot, will ONLY restrict you from carrying inside the building. The parking lot and walkways are still ok to carry, and your gun may be locked in your car when you go inside.

2) A business is REQUIRED to post a 51% sign by the comptroller.

Thanks again to all for their help. Hopefully in the next 60 days I will be able to carry concealed.

Since this is my first post I guess I'll say a little about myself. I'm 21, married, and working towards my EE degree. I gather from what I've read that makes me one of the younger people here. Been hooked on guns since I was 8 and got my first BB gun. I've always been interested in competitive shooting (though never really got into many competitions) and of course gun rights. I've spent a few hours of each of the last couple nights reading through old posts trying to learn as much as possible from all the great people here.

Tomorrow I take the CHL class which is being put on by a pro-gun group on campus called Students for the Second Amendment. My plan was to take the class to get it out of the way and then save up the $140 for the application fee later on when I got the money, but after telling my parents I signed up, they very graciously gave me $140 in cash. Neither are CHL people or even own any guns, but they've always supported my hobbies. They're not wealthy people either, so I was very thankful. Anyway, I have even more excitement towards tomorrow's class knowing that I can send in my application immediately upon completion. I have no idea how I'm going to be able to stand the wait. Maybe I'll give DPS a call every day to check the status until I get my license!

Now for some random questions I have:

1) If I'm a passenger (say my wife or a friend is driving) in a car that gets pulled over and I'm carrying, do I have to present my CHL license? Or, would I only have to inform the officer of my gun and hand over my license if I was personally asked for my ID?

2) If I am travelling with a friend, can I leave my gun in their car (such as a place with a 30.06 sign posted) so long as the car is locked and the gun is not in plain view?

3) I live in an apartment complex and was wondering to what extent I could carry my handgun without a license on the property? I know having the gun concealed or not in my apartment would be ok, but if I take the dogs out on a walk at night, would I be able to take my gun without a license? Initially I would think "no", but included in the lease is the right to use other facilities like the swimming pool, tennis and racquetball courts, fitness center, etc. I'm paying for the right to use those, so does that mean I have the right to take my gun to those places, or even just walk around in the parking lot with it? If the answer to all this is "no", could I at least take my gun out to my car in response to the alarm going off and/or seeing some punks messing with it? If I understand this correctly, Texas authorizes the use of deadly force to stop a burglery or the attempt of it (among a few other situations). Would having the right to use deadly force imply being able to carry a gun?

4) I am 5'8" and around 140lbs, so I've got a pretty small frame to work with as far as concealment goes. My carry gun (and only handgun as of now) will be a Steyr M9. It's about the size of a Glock 19 and even looks a little like one too (was designed by a former engineer for Glock that was hired by Steyr). Any suggestions for holsters? I normally wear t-shirts and shorts since the weather is nice most of the year. I've been reading up on the Smart Carry holsters and they look very promising. Anyone with personal experience? I've also been stocking my gun in my waistband behind my back which I find pretty comfortable and very concealed, but sitting down is a little less comfortable and it's more likely to stick out. My only reservation to the Smart Carry is that it seems a little awkward being that the gun rests right on top of your uh... privates. I'm sure that I'd get over it pretty fast though.

That's about all for now, but I know I had more as I have been sitting and thinking about concealed carry a lot lately. I can't wait to take the course tomorrow. I even went to the shooting range today to practice for the proficiency test! It's an all day class from 8am to 9pm, so I better get to sleep. Thanks for all the information that has been contributed so far (I still have many more hours to spend reading old posts) and any help you can offer with my questions. Until then, I'll be eyeing the entrance of every place I go to looking to 30.06 signs!