Texas CHL Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When are your CHL courses?
A: Tom Schaefer teaches CHL new permit every 4-6 weeks and renewal every 3-4 weeks. At the start of each year, he sets class dates for the entire year. They are on our 'schedule' page.
Q: How much do the classes cost?
A: $150 for new permit, $75 for renewal. That fee includes classroom, range, notary, fingerprints, photos, and lunch.
Q: Are your class dates 'real', or do you only hold class when you have enough for a session to 'make'?
A: CHL class dates are firm, whether we have one student or 20.
Q: What about classes on dates not scheduled?
A: We do not offer private CHL classes, classes during the week, classes split into multiple sessions at night, or anything other than Saturday, one day courses. Ted Bonnet is available for private CHL instruction in the Austin/San Antonio area. Students must arrange facilities and costs with Ted directly.
Q: Do you offer group rates or discounts for seniors? couples?
A: No.
Q: Do I have to qualify with the gun I plan to carry?
A: No. You have to qualify with a semi-auto if you plan to carry a semi-auto.
Q: Does DPS keep records about the gun I qualify with? (serial number, make/model, etc.)
A: No. The individual, not the firearm, is licensed. There is no such thing as 'gun registration' in Texas.
Q: I haven't shot a pistol in years. Will I be able to pass the shooting test?
A: The course of fire for the shooting test is here. More than 90% of our students pass on the first try. You get three tries, but only one try during the regular course. Our Basic Pistol II course is a 4 hour refresher course in basic marksmanship that includes a 'practice run' on the CHL test. If you pass the 'practice run' during Basic Pistol II and take CHL from KR Training, your score from BP-II can be used for your CHL qualification.
Q: I only have to get 70% on the shooting test to pass, correct?
A: Yes. 70% is a passing score, but our position is that anyone shooting less than 90% on the qualification course seriously consider additional training. The permit allows you to carry, but it is your skill with your handgun that may someday save your life. The time limits and target size used in the CHL test are 'generous' so that most recreational-level shooters can pass. The better your skill, the better your odds of using your handgun effectively. Our advanced courses cover material not included in the Texas CHL course but important for 'real world' defensive use: techniques from drawing from concealment, shooting in low light, use of cover, clearing malfunctions quickly, shooting while moving, and more.
Q: Where is the range?
A: Approximately 30 miles SE of the Austin Bergstrom Airport. Here is the map with driving directions.
Q: Gee, that's a long way from town. Why don't you find a closer location?
A: Shooting ranges make a lot of noise and require lots of safe downrange area. Shooting ranges are typically driven out of business and shut down as urban growth puts subdivisions near range property. Shooting is an inherently 'rural' activity. Our site selections were a balance between finding remote, affordable property and proxmity to Austin and surrounding smaller cities.
Q: I live along the north 183 or north I-35 corridor. Why are all the shooting ranges south of town?
A: See answer to previous question. Rapid growth of subdivisions in those areas has driven land prices up and increased population density, two factors that make it difficult to open a range or keep an existing range from being shut down.
Q: Why don't you teach at the indoor ranges in Austin?
A: They have their own staff instructors, and do not allow 'outside' instructors to teach CHL courses at their facilities. We have offered non-CHL courses at those ranges in the past and may do so in the future.
Q: Why don't you use one of the commercial ranges closer to Austin?
A: Years of experience teaching have taught us that running a class on a portion of a commercial range can be difficult. Students have to listen to gunfire all day long during the classroom portions of class, and coordinating with other range users during the qualification test can be complex and delay the course. There is also the additional problem of range users not enrolled in the course interrupting or interfering with the course, or attempting to 'listen in' to get free instruction. On our private ranges we have privacy and control of the range, which makes the training experience safer, more enjoyable, and simpler to conduct.
Q: Why do you charge $150? I found another course for less money.
A: Not all courses include all the services: fingerprinting, photos, notary, classroom and range - all in one day at one location. Some require multiple sessions at different locations. All instructors are not created equal. Tom Schaefer has 25+ years law enforcement experience, advanced degrees in relevant fields, experience as a police academy instructor, experience as a pistol competitor, experience as a range owner and as a holster maker. Ted Bonnet is a former world champion pistol competitor who represented the CZ gun company in professional competitions for many years, in addition to teaching local shooters basic and competition courses. We strive to keep our courses competitively priced, but quality and convenience do not come at bargain-basement discount prices, in the CHL training world or anywhere else. As in most things, you get what you pay for.