Texas Concealed Carry Resources and Official Links

Texas Concealed Carry Resources

This directory catalogs Texas-specific resources for LTC holders, instructors, and carriers: state agencies, advocacy organizations, statute lookups, instructor certification, and reciprocity tools. Texas is a constitutional-carry state for qualifying adults under Tex. Penal Code § 46.02(a). CONSTITUTIONAL_CARRY covers the printed under-21 element and the injunction entered in Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc. v. McCraw, No. 4:21-cv-1245-P (N.D. Tex. Aug. 25, 2022). The License to Carry (LTC) program continues to operate through the Texas Department of Public Safety, and most operationally important guidance for instructors and license holders flows through DPS, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). Verify links, fees, and turnaround times against the issuing authority before each class cycle; Texas LTC fees, instructor-certification cycles, and reciprocity arrangements all change between legislative sessions.

Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)

DPS is the state issuing authority for the Texas License to Carry under Subchapter H, Chapter 411 of the Government Code. DPS administers the application portal, processes fingerprints through IdentoGO, manages the qualified-handgun-instructor (QHI) program, and publishes the official school-safety and reciprocity guidance.

• DPS Handgun Licensing Service (https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/handgun-licensing). The top-level page for everything LTC: original applications, renewals, instructor certification, school-safety certificates, and current fee schedules. Bookmark this page; it is the authoritative source when statute, third-party sites, and DPS guidance disagree.
• DPS LTC Online Application Portal. Linked from the Handgun Licensing page. New applicants and renewals submit through the portal; the system also produces the IdentoGO fingerprint reservation code that students need before they can complete fingerprinting.
• DPS Regulatory Services Division (RSD). RSD is the parent division for handgun licensing. The RSD contact line for LTC questions is the number published on the Handgun Licensing page; DPS will not interpret statute or assess individual eligibility, but RSD can clarify program procedure (what counts as a qualified ID, how to update an address, how to add a name change to an existing LTC).
• DPS correspondence address. LTC correspondence is directed to the Regulatory Services Division. The Handgun Licensing page lists the current correspondence address for application supplements (military exemptions, name change documentation, expunction orders) and should be consulted before mailing any document.
• IdentoGO Texas (DPS fingerprint vendor) (https://www.identogo.com/locations/texas). DPS contracts fingerprinting to IdentoGO. Applicants schedule a fingerprint appointment after starting the LTC application; the fee is paid to IdentoGO at the appointment. There is no walk-in fingerprinting through DPS itself for LTC applicants.

DPS also administers the License to Carry School Safety Program, which produces a separate certificate authorizing certain LTC holders to carry on K-12 campuses where the school district has authorized them as a "school safety officer" or under the Guardian Plan; the school-safety course is in addition to the standard LTC training.

Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE)

TCOLE is the state agency that licenses and oversees peace officers and certain non-LTC firearms instructors (including the Level III/IV armed-guard curriculum administered through the Department of Public Safety Private Security Bureau). TCOLE does not run the LTC program, but instructors who teach both LTC and non-LTC firearms curricula often hold TCOLE credentials in addition to the DPS Qualified Handgun Instructor certification.

• Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (https://www.tcole.texas.gov/). Top-level page. Includes the licensing portal for peace officers and a public-records search to verify an instructor's TCOLE status.

For LTC instruction specifically, the controlling certification is the DPS Qualified Handgun Instructor (QHI) license under Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.190, not a TCOLE certification. A QHI is the only person authorized to certify completion of the LTC training course.

Texas Statutes and Legislative Resources

Texas publishes its statutes, session laws, and pending bills through the Texas Legislature Online portal. The official statute portal is statutes.capitol.texas.gov; capitol.texas.gov is the broader legislative-tracking site. Both are operated by the Texas Legislative Council.

• Texas Constitution and Statutes (https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/). The official online statute portal. Searchable by code (Penal, Government, Civil Practice and Remedies, Education, Alcoholic Beverage, Family, Health and Safety, Local Government) and by section number. This is the controlling source when a third-party citation conflicts with the codified text.
• Texas Legislature Online (capitol.texas.gov) (https://capitol.texas.gov/). The bill-tracking portal. Search current and historical bills, monitor committee hearings, and pull the full session-by-session amendment history for a statute. Useful when answering "when did this rule change" - for example, when HB 1927 (87R) made constitutional carry effective on September 1, 2021.
• Texas Register (https://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/). The Texas Secretary of State publishes the Texas Register, where new and proposed agency rules first appear. DPS rules implementing the LTC program (37 Tex. Admin. Code Chapter 6) are first published in the Register before being codified in the Texas Administrative Code.
• Texas Administrative Code (https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.viewtac). The codified administrative rules, organized by agency. DPS Handgun Licensing rules live at Title 37, Part 1, Chapter 6.

Key Texas Firearms Statutes to Bookmark

Texas Office of the Attorney General

The Texas Attorney General (OAG) does not issue LTCs but plays two roles directly relevant to instructors and license holders. First, OAG opinions interpret unclear firearms statutes and are persuasive (not binding) on courts; agency lawyers generally follow them until superseded. Second, the OAG enforces preemption against local governments under Tex. Loc. Gov't Code Section 229.001 and against state agencies under Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.209. The OAG does not publish the reciprocity list, because Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.173(b) assigns that duty to DPS.

• Texas Attorney General (https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/). Top-level OAG page. Includes the opinions database, the consumer-protection complaint portal, and the firearms-policy pages.
• Texas Attorney General, Open Government (https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/open-government). The open-government division handles preemption complaints against local political subdivisions under Section 229.001 (firearms ordinances) and Section 411.209 (wrongful posting of 30.06/30.07 signs by governmental entities). Either statute creates a complaint right with civil-penalty exposure to the offending entity.
• OAG Opinions (https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions). Searchable database of formal Attorney General opinions. Several opinions interpret 30.06/30.07/30.05 sign requirements, the campus-carry exclusions in Section 411.2031, and the interaction between LTC carve-outs and local hospital or court-facility postings.
• Texas Reciprocity List. Published by DPS as the State Reciprocity Information page under Handgun Licensing. Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.173(b) directs the department to publish on its Internet website, and annually update, a list of states in which a license to carry a handgun issued by Texas is recognized; the same subsection recognizes a valid license to carry a handgun issued by any other state in Texas, so the list matters for outbound travel. Treat third-party reciprocity maps as a starting point only and verify against this page before traveling.

Federal Resources

Texas LTC holders and instructors operate within both state and federal firearms law. The federal layer governs interstate transport (18 U.S.C. Section 926A), federally-prohibited persons (18 U.S.C. Section 922(g)), federally-restricted locations (18 U.S.C. Section 930), and the National Firearms Act registry (26 U.S.C. Chapter 53).

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) (https://www.atf.gov/). Federal regulator for FFL licensees, NFA registration, and ITAR-adjacent matters. Publishes the State Laws and Published Ordinances guide, which includes the Texas chapter.
• ATF Firearms Forms (https://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearms-forms). Form 4473 (purchase background check), Form 4 (NFA transfer), Form 1 (NFA make), and Form 5320.20 (interstate transport of NFA items, required before crossing a state line with an NFA firearm).
• National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) (https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics). Texas LTC holders are exempt from a separate NICS check at the point of purchase under 18 U.S.C. Section 922(t)(3) and the corresponding ATF acknowledgment of the Texas LTC as a qualifying alternative permit; the dealer still completes Form 4473 and verifies the LTC.
• U.S. Department of Justice (https://www.justice.gov/). Federal firearm prosecutions in Texas go through the four U.S. Attorney's Offices (Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western Districts of Texas).
• U.S. Courts (PACER) (https://www.pacer.gov/). Federal district-court case lookup for the four Districts of Texas.
• 18 U.S.C. Section 922 (https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title18-section922). The federal prohibited-persons statute. A federally-prohibited person is also disqualified from a Texas LTC under Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.172.

Reciprocity and Travel Resources

Texas publishes its reciprocity list through DPS, and that list is the authoritative state source. Under Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.173(b), a valid license to carry a handgun issued by any other state is recognized in Texas, and the department publishes on its Internet website, and annually updates, a list of states in which a license to carry a handgun issued by Texas is recognized.

• Handgunlaw.us, Texas page (https://handgunlaw.us/states/texas.pdf). Widely-used third-party reciprocity reference. The handgunlaw.us PDF is generally accurate and is updated quickly after a new bilateral agreement is announced, but it is not authoritative; the DPS list controls.
• USCCA Reciprocity Map (https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/). Useful for visualizing reciprocity at a glance. Verify against the DPS list before traveling.
• Florida nonresident concealed-weapon license (https://www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Concealed-Weapon-License). Some Texas residents obtain a Florida nonresident permit because Florida's reciprocity footprint differs slightly from Texas's; useful for instructors working with multi-state students.
• Utah nonresident concealed-firearm permit (https://bci.utah.gov/concealed-firearm/). Another widely-recognized nonresident permit. A Texas resident does not need a Utah permit to carry in Texas, but some carriers stack nonresident permits to extend reciprocity.

Advocacy Organizations and Industry Resources

These organizations are not government sources, and their guidance is not authoritative on Texas law. They are useful for tracking pending legislation through the biennial session, mobilizing on rule changes, and accessing legal-defense resources.

• Texas State Rifle Association (TSRA) (https://tsra.com/). The primary state-level advocacy organization. TSRA lobbies in Austin during the biennial session, runs a youth-shooting program, and publishes an alert system for pending firearms bills. TSRA is the affiliate organization NRA-ILA partners with on Texas-specific advocacy.
• NRA-ILA Texas (https://www.nraila.org/states/texas/). Tracks pending firearms legislation and publishes alerts during legislative sessions and special sessions.
• NRA Political Victory Fund, Texas (https://www.nrapvf.org/texas/). Tracks endorsements and grades for state-level offices.
• Gun Owners of America, Texas (https://www.gunowners.org/). National gun-rights organization with active Texas engagement; generally to the right of NRA-ILA on legislative priorities.
• Texas Gun Rights (https://www.texasgunrights.com/). Texas-specific affiliate aligned with the no-compromise wing of the gun-rights movement; publishes a legislative scorecard and ballot guide each cycle.
• Open Carry Texas (https://opencarrytexas.org/). Texas-specific advocacy organization that played a role in the lead-up to constitutional carry; continues to publish guidance on permitless-carry edge cases.
• U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) (https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/). Publishes training materials, the reciprocity map, and self-defense liability insurance.
• National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) (https://www.nssf.org/). Trade association for the firearms industry, headquartered out of state but with significant Texas member presence. Publishes the Don't Lie for the Other Guy straw-purchase prevention campaign that Texas dealers participate in.
• Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) (https://www.saf.org/). National litigation organization. SAF has been the lead plaintiff or co-plaintiff on multiple post-Bruen Texas-relevant federal cases.
• Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) (https://www.firearmspolicy.org/). National litigation and advocacy organization, with active Texas litigation.

Practical Tools for Instructors and License Holders

• DPS Qualified Handgun Instructor (QHI) Portal. Linked from the DPS Handgun Licensing page. Active QHIs use the portal to upload class rosters, generate student LTC-100 certificates, and renew the QHI license on its biennial cycle. Only a current QHI may certify LTC training under Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.190.
• DPS LTC-100 form. The student certificate-of-completion form a QHI issues at the end of an LTC course. The applicant uploads the LTC-100 to the DPS application portal as part of the application packet.
• DPS Handgun Proficiency Course. The required range component for an LTC. The qualification course of fire is set by DPS rule under 37 Tex. Admin. Code Chapter 6 and runs at 3, 7, and 15 yards with a B-27 or similar silhouette target.
• 30.06 / 30.07 / 30.05 sign reference. Tex. Penal Code Section 30.06 covers concealed-carry trespass notice for license holders; Section 30.07 covers open-carry trespass notice for license holders; Section 30.05 covers general criminal trespass (the controlling statute under permitless carry for non-LTC carriers). Each statute prescribes specific sign content, font size, and language; signs that do not meet the statutory specification do not give legal notice.
• DPS Address Change portal. Linked from the Handgun Licensing page. License holders are required to notify DPS of an address change; the portal handles the update without requiring a new card unless the holder requests one.
• Texas LTC Reinstatement / Reissuance. Linked from the Handgun Licensing page. A license that expired more than one year ago generally requires a new application; a license suspended for failure to update information may be reinstated through a separate process described on the page.

Records, Background Checks, and Related State Services

• Texas DPS Crime Records Service (https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/crime-records). The state criminal-history record-check service. A student who is uncertain whether a prior arrest disqualifies them from LTC eligibility under Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.172 should pull their own record before paying the application fee. The federal NICS layer adds offenses (such as misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence under 18 U.S.C. Section 922(g)(9)) that may disqualify even when the state record looks clean.
• Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Statistics (https://www.dshs.texas.gov/vital-statistics). Source for certified copies of Texas-issued vital records (marriage, divorce, name change orders). LTC applications occasionally require a certified court order documenting a name change.
• Texas Judicial Branch, Case Search (https://www.txcourts.gov/). Top-level Texas court system page. Most counties run their own searchable docket portals; the txcourts.gov page links out to district-court and county-court systems where a student needs to confirm whether an old case was dismissed, expunged, or still open.
• Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/bpp/). The state board that processes pardon applications. A full pardon is one path to restoring firearm rights after a disqualifying Texas conviction; the process is multi-year and discretionary, and federal disabilities under 18 U.S.C. Section 922(g) do not automatically lift with a state pardon. Refer students to a private attorney before they begin.
• Texas DSHS Mental Health Records. Disqualification under Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.172(a) for a prior involuntary mental-health commitment is determined by DPS at the application stage; students with any prior commitment, court-ordered outpatient treatment, or NGRI finding should consult counsel before applying.

How to Verify a Texas Source Before Class

A practical workflow for instructors:

1. Open the DPS Handgun Licensing page and the DPS State Reciprocity Information page at the start of every quarter, and confirm the application fee, renewal fee, current turnaround, and reciprocity additions or removals.
2. Re-pull the LTC-100 certificate template and any DPS-published student handouts; DPS occasionally revises the certificate format and outdated forms get rejected.
3. Pull current statute text from statutes.capitol.texas.gov when teaching any specific Penal Code Chapter 46 or Government Code Subchapter H section; a screenshot from a third-party site is not a substitute.
4. Cross-check reciprocity claims against the DPS list, not against handgunlaw.us or USCCA maps.
5. When a question depends on DPS procedure (fingerprinting, application supplements, name changes, instructor renewal), check the DPS Handgun Licensing page directly.
6. When a question depends on local enforcement (campus-carry posting, hospital signage, county-courthouse rules), consult both Tex. Gov't Code Section 411.209 (for governmental entities) and the OAG Open Government page; a posting that violates Section 411.209 does not give legal notice and creates a complaint right.

When sources conflict, DPS controls for licensing program administration and for reciprocity, the statute (followed by case law) controls for the underlying legal question, and the OAG controls for preemption enforcement.