It appears that the 314,000 Texas CHL holders are a very law-abiding bunch - much moreso than the general adult population. www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/crime_records/chl/convrates.htm
would someone who is getting a CHL now be able to have a conviction on their record in the previous years? If so, doesn't that make the logic of this study a little flawed? If so, that would be like taking a list of people who haven't been convicted in the past 5 years and then seeing who on that list has a conviction in the last 10 years. Odds are that it would be a very small percentage. Even without this data, I would doubt many people would think that CHL holders have the same or more convictions than the general public.
This isn't a "study", it's the raw factual DPS data. One thing it does show is the fact that CHL holders do not commit crimes at anywhere near the rate of the general adult population. I posted this because of the assertion of the Brady group that spoke out against the CHL campus carry bill in the Texas Senate tried to paint CHL carriers as a criminal group - based on their claim of 3,400 crimes committed. To qualify for a Texas CHL you must: 1-Be 21 years old. (Members and former members of the armed forces must be 18.) 2-Have a clean criminal history, including military service and recent juvenile records (no felony convictions, nor any misdemeanors within the last 5 years). 3-Not be under a protective order. 4-Not be chemically dependent. 5-Not be of unsound mind. 6-Not be delinquent in paying fines, fees, child support, student loans, etc. 7-Be eligible to purchase a handgun by completing the NICS check. 8-Complete required training.
And this surprises anyone? If a person bothers to get a CHL they probably aren't intending to commit a crime. This is the reason that laws will not control guns. If you plan on breaking one, why would you care about another. No law will keep a gun from someone that really wants one to commit a crime with.