TexasCHLforum.com

so the wife and i took the kids to bill miller's for supper tonight and there was a DPS trooper car in the lot. no biggie. then we are standing in line and lo and behold, three more are standing behind me, on my gun side. talk about pucker factor. 'but what me worry?' i have the plastic! i was still nervous, i just got my license and an not used to carrying. granted i can conceal my 4" xd45 pretty well, i was still a bit nervous. so we sat a few tables away from all FIVE troopers. they were so busy talking about whatever they never noticed us anyway. all in all, it went perfectly, and i think as LEO they may notice a bulge in a waistband but as there was none in my waistband i did fine. no one was the wiser.

tomorrow i am going to san antone to get glasses and will get my first taste of carrying in the 'big city'





P.S. Bill Miller's tea, FTW!

Good job. Remember the 5 rules of Confident Carry.
Quality gear
Put it on
Cover it up
Leave it alone
No one knows.

During my wally-walk, when we were checking out there was a local LEO in line right behind us. I was not overly concerned, but I was thinking - it would be just my luck to screw up the first day I was legal! I didn't screw up and he didn't ever even give me a second glance.

http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... =7&t=14435

See #4, #8, & #10.

My wife used to be a Bill Miller manager back in the day. We still can't drive through Austin or San Antonio without stopping and tanking up on some BM food.

Had similar experience a few years ago in Florida. (I had a Florida non-resident lic before Texas got CHL)
Brand new with CHL with a Sig 229 under slightly heavy weight T-shirt. I'm sure I was "concealed" to average
observers, but on several occasions over a few weeks, I noticed what I thought was definite "eye contact" with
LEO's in stores, fast-food joints, etc. I think they may be more perceptive than average citizen and also more
likely to "check out" casual meetings.
Significantly, in each case the "eye contact" glance seemed more a friendly gesture than not.

Lonestarm wrote:Had similar experience a few years ago in Florida. (I had a Florida non-resident lic before Texas got CHL)
Brand new with CHL with a Sig 229 under slightly heavy weight T-shirt. I'm sure I was "concealed" to average
observers, but on several occasions over a few weeks, I noticed what I thought was definite "eye contact" with
LEO's in stores, fast-food joints, etc. I think they may be more perceptive than average citizen and also more
likely to "check out" casual meetings.
Significantly, in each case the "eye contact" glance seemed more a friendly gesture than not.

I understand the anxiety of being close to LEO's when you first begin carrying a handgun. It's very much like driving past a radar trap when you first got your driver's license. The worry fades with experience, and you only get experience by carrying intelligently and often.

LEO's, particularly in TX and FL, are well aware that CHL's are out there, and the vast majority are held by true good guys, many of whom would be the first to help out the LEO in a pinch. Trust me when I tell you that, as long as you aren't doing something illegal or flagrantly stupid and you don't dress and act in a manner that sets off their "dirtbag radar", they won't bother you any more after you got your CHL than they did before, even if their trained eyes detect that you're carrying.

longtooth wrote:Good job. Remember the 5 rules of Confident Carry.
Quality gear
Put it on
Cover it up
Leave it alone
No one knows.

I agree 100%, however, I haven't had my CHL for all that long, either, and I know that feeling.."The Eyes of Texas are upon YOU!

But now I don't even think of it being there, in fact, I feel very odd when it is not. What helped me more than anything was the good advice I received on this forum before I started carrying...I knew what to expect and how to cover it up.

Good job, Good Luck!
-geo