Texas CHL Blog

posted by Charles L. Cotton on Feb 9

Texas passed its Concealed Handgun License statute in 1995 and the program has been a tremendous success. Texas Concealed Handgun License holders (“CHLs”) have a twelve year history of being the most law-abiding segment of Texans, as reported by the Texas Department of Public Safety (“DPS”).

According to the DPS’ data for 2007, women comprise 18.31% of current CHLs. This percentage is up slightly from 2006 (approximately 0.6%), but far below the level that most men would expect. So why do a relatively small percentage of women choose to obtain a CHL and with it the ability to defend themselves against a violent attack? The answer seems to be a combination of a lack of knowledge, an erroneous belief that armed self-defense is beyond their physical and/or emotion capability, and a misunderstanding of Texas laws on self-defense.  To address these concerns, a self-defense information seminar with a special emphasis on issues facing women was presented at PSC Shooting Club in Friendswood, Texas on Friday, February 8, 2008. It was scheduled from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm, but the audience was really participating in the discussion and we did not leave until after 10:30 pm!

The purpose of this seminar was to provide an overview of issues related to self-defense including Texas law, training opportunities, selecting a firearm and method of carrying it, secure storage and carry methods when children are present, and a multitude of other questions ladies typically have when it comes to making such an important decision. As noted, this was an overview of these subjects, not an in-depth study. In short, the seminar was designed to show people what they need to learn and how to do it.

We had about twenty-two women and six men present and we had a great time. I love speaking to groups about these subjects, which is not really surprising since I am a trial lawyer. But this was a special group of ladies who really were interested in the subject matter and I suspect most of them will make the decision to get training and to get their Concealed Handgun License (CHL). In addition to covering the material, we also had a lot of laughs and just had a great time overall.

If you have a group of ladies you think could benefit from such a seminar, send me an email and I would be happy to try to schedule it.

Regards,
Chas.
Charles@TexasShooting.com