Page 1 of 1
DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:50 pm
by fgspiderman
Thanks
Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:05 pm
by 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
Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:09 pm
by 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.
Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:25 pm
by fgspiderman
Thank you for your quick response!
Thank you
Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:02 pm
by dicion
fgspiderman wrote: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:

Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 11:31 pm
by 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.
Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:19 pm
by ghostrider
There is some additional information here:
http://www.vrolyk.org/guns/alien-laws.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:12 pm
by fgspiderman
Thanks guys !
Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 3:08 pm
by fgspiderman
You got it Ghost, thank you a lot
Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:40 am
by 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
Re: DO I qualify for a CHL ?
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:33 pm
by ghostrider
>You got it Ghost, thank you a lot
you're welcome. Its definitely a grey area with a lot of differing interpretations.