DO I qualify for a CHL ?

[fgspiderman]

Thanks

[seamusTX]

Welcome to the forum.

You probably can get a CHL. You need to be a permanent resident of the U.S. There are several types of permanent residence, and I don't know much about the subject.

Several forum members are immigrants and know all about this stuff. It may take a few days for one of them to reply, because of the holiday.

- Jim

[joe817]

Hi fgspiderman, and welcome to the forum! Hope to see more of you here.

I cannot definitively answer your question, but I DID find in the FAQ's in the Texas Concealed Handgun Laws that you can see on the DPS website.

"Q: If I am a legal resident alien, can I get a license?
A: It depends. A resident alien who has been admitted to the U.S. under an immigrant visa category will generally be eligible for a concealed handgun license. However, under federal law, an alien who has been admitted to the U.S. under a non-immigrant visa usually is not qualified to purchase a handgun and thus is not eligible for a license. If you legally reside in Texas and were not admitted to the U.S. under a non-immigrant visa, you may be eligible."

Here is where the main website to find all the laws regarding concealed handgun carry:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administra ... sindex.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I hope others with more experience than I can help you.

[fgspiderman]

Thank you for your quick response!


Thank you

[dicion]

Thank you for your quick response!

The "Legal resident" term has so many meaning. I'm a legal resident due to Homeland Security granted me permission to be and work legally in the USA. However I'm not a "legal permanent resident alien" (green card holder") I do renew my permit every 2 years.

Thank you

FG

To be a permanent resident, you need a 'Green Card' (They're not actually green anymore lol)

For example, my wife came here on a visitor visa, but we got married, and went through the nice multi-year dabacle that is getting a Green Card.

Now she has A green card, and is a legal permanent resident. So she could apply for a CHL.

Pretty Much, No Green Card, No CHL.

You probably have one of these:


That card is NOT Valid to apply for a CHL.


You Can apply for a CHL ONLY if you have one of these:

[ghostrider]

>You Can apply for a CHL ONLY if you have one of these:


I believe that is the DPS interpretation (which is what matters for a TX CHL, of course). When I looked into this a few years back it wasn't clear (at least at the time) that a Green Card was absolutely necessary. I recall that basically was that you had to be eligible under Federal rules to be able to legally possess (or purchase?) a handgun to be eligible for a TX CHL. While there are only certain circumstances where non-resident aliens (ie. basically a holder of a work visa) could purchase firearms and ammunition it is legal.

Some states, such as NH, have issued non-resident CHLs to people who don't even live in the US. Such a person would have to have extra paperwork to import a firearm however.

[ghostrider]

There is some additional information here:

http://www.vrolyk.org/guns/alien-laws.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[fgspiderman]

Thanks guys !

[fgspiderman]

You got it Ghost, thank you a lot

[4t5]

Deleated for personal attack.

I know this is a touchy subject but do not let it become personal or we will lock it.
LT

[ghostrider]

>You got it Ghost, thank you a lot

you're welcome. Its definitely a grey area with a lot of differing interpretations.