CHL Category - Why SA/NSA?

[Photoman]

SA's are harder to manipulate. Non-SA's are harder to shoot well.

[txinvestigator]

My answer just unsatisfactory to you, or do you not believe me?

Well, TXI, do I believe "Them there automatics is a bunch harder to shoot than a wheel-gun" No, I don't believe they are a bunch harder to shoot - just different. Plusses and minuses on both sides.

I guess I was hoping someone on this distinguished forum might have been involved with setting the requirements for CHL and could say, "The reason we decided on two CHL categories was ...."

So much for trying to add levity.

The fact is that the legislators decided that semi-automatics were more completed to operate than revolvers. So a person who wanted to carry a semi-auto had to qualify with one to prove he could work the silly thing.

[pbandjelly]

So much for trying to add levity.

hard to do ;)

[kw5kw]

The way that I see it:

Semi-Auto's are much more complex than a simple wheel gun.

On a wheel gun you swing out/fold over the cylinder and load it and then you simply push the cylinder back in or straighten the weapon out and you're basically ready to fire.

On the SA you have to:
Remove the magazine;
Load the magazine;
Place the magazine into the weapon with sufficient force to lock it into place;
"Rack the slide" with sufficient force to load a round;
Disengage the safety (if equipped) before you can fire.


Some older people simply don't have the hand/arm strength to do all of the above with their SA's while it would be possible for them to do all of the above with a revolver.

Same goes with some physically disabled persons.

Plus it's much more difficult to unload the SA over the revolver and to make sure the chamber is cleared for those same persons.

It's to keep us safe as well... if they can't adequately function their weapons they don't need to be carrying them.

Russ

[Mad Mac]

Does anyone actually know (not just guessing) what the rationale was for having the two categories of CHL License for non-semiauto vs all types?

Some Democrat legislators favoring gun control had it written into the law in order to get them to vote for it. They did not provide a reason. All this occurred when Clinton was president and the assault weapons ban was still in effect.

The desire of anti-gunners and the fear of firearm enthusiasts at that time was the same, that it in the future semi-automatic weapons might be banned. Texas does not have firearm registration or gun licenses like some states, but the CHL SA category would provide authorities with a list of Texans owning semi-automatic pistols to confiscate.

You did not want guessing, but you have to ask yourself, why else would the government inconvenience itself by creating two categories. The CHL shooting skills test doesn't do diddly about the SA shooters. Only one of the three tests I have taken over the years had the SA shooters bother to put their safeties on or hammers down before each string began. So that can't be the reason.

[seamusTX]

Welcome to the forum, Mad Mac.

That was a blast from the past. TXinvestigator, Frankie_the_Yankee, PBandjelly ...

As has been pointed out elsewhere, the distinction between semi-autos and non-semi-autos is the same for CHLs as licensed security guards.

- Jim

[sjfcontrol]

The CHL shooting skills test doesn't do diddly about the SA shooters. Only one of the three tests I have taken over the years had the SA shooters bother to put their safeties on or hammers down before each string began. So that can't be the reason.

Umm, not all semi-autos have hammers, or manual safeties for that matter.

[FNguy]

Does anyone actually know (not just guessing) what the rationale was for having the two categories of CHL License for non-semiauto vs all types?

Ignorance of firearms. I know some people will say security guards or other excuses, but when you dig down past tradition, you find ignorance. I can take a new shooter and get them shooting well with a Glock much quicker than I can using a revolver. Most experienced shooters will agree it's easier to shoot a modern semiauto well than a modern revolver, in large part because of the trigger. In action shooting sports, it's difficult for a revolver shooter to compete with semiauto shooters, and sports like IDPA created a revolver class so they wouldn't have to.

So, it's obvious ignorance was behind the rule that says
qualify with easier gun = can carry both types
qualify with harder gun = can only carry harder gun

It would be like restricting you to driving a manual transmission of you road test with a manual transmission, but allowing manual or automatic transmission vehicles if you test with an automatic transmission.

[seamusTX]

The author of SB60 in 1995 was Senator Jerry Patterson.

The original bill had four categories of weapons: semi-autos 9 mm or larger, semi-autos of smaller calibers, non-semi-autos of .38 caliber or larger, and non-semi-autos of smaller calibers.

Apparently it was amended to its current form in the House of Representatives.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/billlookup ... &Bill=SB60" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I didn't live here at the time and had no interest in the details of Texas legislation. I also can't read minds, but I doubt ignorance or paranoia had much to do with the passage of the legislation. I have it on good authority that some of the provisions, like the ban on amusement parks, were tailored to special interests that opposed the bill.

- Jim