Deputy busted for selling illegal gun permits

[Lucky45]

09:45 PM CDT on Monday, June 18, 2007

By Jeff McShan / KHOU 11 News

A local deputy is facing serious charges of selling permits to carry a concealed weapon with no class time required.

The Harris County Precinct 1 constable’s deputy turned himself in to authorities Monday after being charged with two felony counts of tampering with a government document.

Deputy Wilbert Jue, who taught concealed handgun courses out of his house in Spring was released on bond early Monday afternoon and has told the constable in Precinct 1 that he plans to resign.

Working on a tip the Houston police department’s major offenders division went undercover and allegedly discovered that deputy Jue was handing out concealed handgun licenses to students who had not participated in some or all of the necessary training.

One of his former students, police sources told 11 News is a member of the Houston Astros.

Texas Department of Public Safety regulations clearly states that to obtain the concealed handgun license each student must complete 10 to 15 hours of class instruction, take a written exam and pass a shooting test.

It is unclear just how many students allegedly received the license from Jue without completing the course.

Court documents reveal however that at least twice, undercover officers went in and posed as regular students and were able to allegedly obtain the license illegally.

In a phone interview with 11 News, Jue said he is innocent.

My question is how many licenses will be revoked by DPS???

[frankie_the_yankee]

Whatever this deputy was doing, he wasn't handing out "licenses". Licenses are issued by DPS, not by CHL instructors.

The ignorance of the media continues to amaze. Doesn't anybody at that paper have a CHL of their own? Doesn't anybody have knowledge of the procedure for getting one?

Is this Texas?

I suspect the guy was simply issuing course completion certificates for money, without putting people through the course. If guilty, he should be appropriately punished, and any licenses issued by DPS as a result of this fraud shold be revoked.

I believe the people who got licenses by using this guy's "services" probably committed crimes themselves. Some kind of 'filing a false document' offense perhaps? It will be interesting to see if the DA goes after them too.

[zigzag]

I saw that news on KHOU 10 pm . I hope those instructors doing it and still not caught will make every effort not to shortcut the law.

[Right2Carry]

One just has to wonder, what theheck goes through their mind when something like this happens.

I also am wondering whether or not anyone on this board just had the "Pucker Factor" kick in.

[JRG]

Hmmm.................I sat through 10 hours of sometimes good and sometimes bad instruction time, shooting range time, and form fill out time in order to get my course completion certificate. I want everyone to spend at least as much time as I did.

You have to know that everyone connected with this SCAM knew they were circumventing the law.

Joe

[txinvestigator]

09:45 PM CDT on Monday, June 18, 2007

By Jeff McShan / KHOU 11 News

A local deputy is facing serious charges of selling permits to carry a concealed weapon with no class time required.

The Harris County Precinct 1 constable’s deputy turned himself in to authorities Monday after being charged with two felony counts of tampering with a government document.

Deputy Wilbert Jue, who taught concealed handgun courses out of his house in Spring was released on bond early Monday afternoon and has told the constable in Precinct 1 that he plans to resign.

Working on a tip the Houston police department’s major offenders division went undercover and allegedly discovered that deputy Jue was handing out concealed handgun licenses to students who had not participated in some or all of the necessary training.

One of his former students, police sources told 11 News is a member of the Houston Astros.

Texas Department of Public Safety regulations clearly states that to obtain the concealed handgun license each student must complete 10 to 15 hours of class instruction, take a written exam and pass a shooting test.

It is unclear just how many students allegedly received the license from Jue without completing the course.

Court documents reveal however that at least twice, undercover officers went in and posed as regular students and were able to allegedly obtain the license illegally.

In a phone interview with 11 News, Jue said he is innocent.

My question is how many licenses will be revoked by DPS???

There was a thread about this on another board; I don't recall which. A friend of one of the students was upset, and it was strongly suggested that he notify DPS. I wonder if this is the same case.

[jbirds1210]

I have to wonder if this "instructor" will be held responsible for his "students" when they break the laws that were never taught to them.

I am glad the guy got caught and I hope that he goes to jail.
Jason

[HankB]

I'm guessing that the guy probably took a shortcut once, didn't get caught, and decided that making the shortcut SOP was a great idea.

Probably one of those guys who figured that since he hadn't been caught, he couldn't be caught . . .

Guess he found out otherwise.

[Lodge2004]

The ignorance of the media continues to amaze. Doesn't anybody at that paper have a CHL of their own? Doesn't anybody have knowledge of the procedure for getting one?

I seriously doubt many reporters have a CHL or even have some basic firearms knowledge. The support crews, on the other hand, probably mirror the rest of society and include hunters, sport shooters, gun enthusiasts, self defense proponents, etc...

You have to know that everyone connected with this SCAM knew they were circumventing the law.

Many probably did, but I doubt that "everyone" had a clue. There is a significant percentage of the population that simply believes what the press and pop culture tells them about firearms and CHL's, i.e. NRA guy in a trench coat selling CHL's on the street corner to little children.

[zigzag]

Its tacit pratice most instructors include the paper work filling up in the 10 hr mandated teaching which is not supposed to be. Bec of poor DPS enforcement this has been overlooked and tolerated and most instructors follow the law but others dont. they get easy money and students get easy license so to speak. They know the students want to complete the day and mail in the stuff. So this incident makes it a day of reckoning.
Instructoirs who do this operandi should be barred from this business.

[Paladin]

I feel sorry for the folks that will get their license's revoked, but it shows everybody out there that they shouldn't get their license from this kind of shady instructor.

They're just cheating themselves.

Instruction is a valuable part of the CHL.

[seamusTX]

[e-mail sent]

Dear Sir,

I am writing about your story on the KHOU web site:

Working on a tip the Houston police department’s major offenders division went undercover and allegedly discovered that deputy Jue was handing out concealed handgun licenses to students who had not participated in some or all of the necessary training.

Concealed handgun license (CHL) instructors do not and cannot issue permits. The way the system is supposed to work, the instructor gives a 10-hour class, a shooting proficiency test, and a written exam. If the student passes both tests, the instructor issues a form TR-100.

At that point, the student sends an application to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which performs background checks and issues the license, if the applicant is eligible. This process can take several weeks or up to three months.

As alleged in this case, the person was probably issuing the TR-100 illegally.

- Jim

[HankB]

I feel sorry for the folks that will get their license's revoked, but it shows everybody out there that they shouldn't get their license from this kind of shady instructor.

They're just cheating themselves.

Instruction is a valuable part of the CHL.

Because of the legal aspect, I would NOT go to this kind of shady instructor, either . . . figuring he WILL be caught (he was!) and his students will almost certainly have their CHL's revoked.

But personally, I found very little value in most of the class; most was just basic common sense, and the specifics of the law (and relevant case law) that actually were useful could have easily been covered in an hour.

[seamusTX]

... his students will almost certainly have their CHL's revoked.

I'm curious what will happen, and whether we'll ever know.

I think DPS would have to prove that an applicant did not take the course. I'll bet everyone who got a certificate from this instructor will be getting a registered letter from DPS soon. Some of the may actually have taken the course.

- Jim

[txinvestigator]

... his students will almost certainly have their CHL's revoked.

I'm curious what will happen, and whether we'll ever know.

I think DPS would have to prove that an applicant did not take the course. I'll bet everyone who got a certificate from this instructor will be getting a registered letter from DPS soon. Some of the may actually have taken the course.

- Jim

DPS made it clear at instructor school; if the instructor does not include the required time, tests or any other aspect, the relevant students will be revoked.