I get this question often, “Why should I get my LTC if I can just carry under Constitutional carry?” For those that may be unaware, on September 1, 2021, the Texas Governer signed H.B. 1921 into law. This bill has been referred to as “The Permit less Carry bill”, “The Constitutional carry bill” and a few other things. What the bill did was remove the requirement for those who are legally able to carry a handgun concealed or openly, to apply and be granted a permit by the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Notice that I said, “Those that are legally able”. The bill did not grant a blanket ability for everyone to carry a handgun. Those that were less than 21 years old (there are some exclusions like military members or those with a valid court protection order), those with court ordered restrictions, valid protection orders against them, or convictions of certain crimes were still restricted from carrying a handgun in public. At the time, the media and certain politicians were convinced that on September 2nd, 2021, everyone in the state was going to strap on a pistol and go on with their business like it was 1875. This did not happen at all. What we found was that those that were legally able to carry a pistol with a License to Carry continued to carry, and those that were carrying illegally continued to carry illegally. Since 2021, as a State certified LTC instructor, when I ask my students (1200+ and counting) who carries a handgun under the Permit less carry act, less than 5% of my students raise their hands. Most people that want to carry a handgun concealed in public are still getting their LTC. Heree are many of the reasons why.
Desire to know the laws. Many of my students have stated that they want to know where they can legally carry a firearm. They want to have the ability to defend themselves and their family but don’t want to run afoul of the law. Module 1 of the class goes into exactly that. You become familiar with all of the locations that you can and can not carry a firearm. You learn what certain signs mean, and which ones apply to you. You will also learn when you can legally use force against another.
The ability to carry in more locations. Those without the LTC are restricted from carrying in more locations than those with the license. Some examples are, some state parks, school zones, the 1000-foot federal law still applies to those without the LTC, but those with their LTC may enter school grounds while armed but may not enter the school premises. The ability to carry on a college campus. The Campus carry act allows concealed carry on college campuses in the state, but you must possess the LTC. We have recently seen a popular TX Grocery chain restrict customers from entering the store armed unless they have their LTC. Doing so could result in a trespass charge.
Ability to take your handgun with you when you travel. There are 37 states that recognize our LTC and therefore allow you to carry a handgun concealed in their state. Keep in mind that Constitutional carry only applies to the residents of that state. With the LTC, you can carry in one of those 37 states as long as you abide with their laws. Groups like USCCA, US Law Shield and NRA have resources to learn about those laws and rules.
Peace of mind. The LTC is still only $40 for a 5-year license (which works out to $8 per year) to have a state issued ID that also allows you to carry a handgun. Many people feel that if stopped by Law Enforcement while armed, they are less likely to have a problem if they have the LTC (Ias a former LEO, I strongly agree with that statement)
Those are the big 4 reasons that we find that students continue to get their LTC, I am sure that there are more.
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