A handgun-license applicant must submit the required application materials, provide listed personal and background information, pay a $40 fee, and the department may not ask for a Social Security number.
Sec. 411.174. APPLICATION. (a) An applicant for a license to carry a handgun must submit to the director's designee described by Section 411.176: (1) a completed application on a form provided by the department that requires only the information listed in Subsection (b); (2) one or more photographs of the applicant that meet the requirements of the department; (3) a certified copy of the applicant's birth certificate or certified proof of age; (4) proof of residency in this state; (5) two complete sets of legible and classifiable fingerprints of the applicant taken by a person appropriately trained in recording fingerprints who is employed by a law enforcement agency or by a private entity designated by a law enforcement agency as an entity qualified to take fingerprints of an applicant for a license under this subchapter; (6) a nonrefundable application and license fee of $40 paid to the department; (7) evidence of handgun proficiency, in the form and manner required by the department; (8) an affidavit signed by the applicant stating that the applicant: (A) has read and understands each provision of this subchapter that creates an offense under the laws of this state and each provision of the laws of this state related to use of deadly force; and (B) fulfills all the eligibility requirements listed under Section 411.172; and (9) a form executed by the applicant that authorizes the director to make an inquiry into any noncriminal history records that are necessary to determine the applicant's eligibility for a license under Section 411.172(a). (b) An applicant must provide on the application a statement of the applicant's: (1) full name and place and date of birth; (2) race and sex; (3) residence and business addresses for the preceding five years; (4) hair and eye color; (5) height and weight; (6) driver's license number or identification certificate number issued by the department; (7) criminal history record information of the type maintained by the department under this chapter, including a list of offenses for which the applicant was arrested, charged, or under an information or indictment and the disposition of the offenses; and (8) history, if any, of treatment received by, commitment to, or residence in: (A) a drug or alcohol treatment center licensed to provide drug or alcohol treatment under the laws of this state or another state, but only if the treatment, commitment, or residence occurred during the preceding five years; or (B) a psychiatric hospital. (b-1) The application must provide space for the applicant to: (1) list any military service that may qualify the applicant to receive a license with a veteran's designation under Section 411.179(e); and (2) include proof required by the department to determine the applicant's eligibility to receive that designation. (c) The department shall distribute on request a copy of this subchapter and application materials. (d) The department may not request or require an applicant to provide the applicant's social security number as part of an application under this section. Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 10.01(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1997. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 62, Sec. 9.06(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1999. Amended by: Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 486 (H.B. 322), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2005. Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1146 (H.B. 2730), Sec. 11.04, eff. September 1, 2009. Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 396 (S.B. 164), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013. Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 665 (H.B. 1349), Sec. 2, eff. January 1, 2014. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 437 (H.B. 910), Sec. 19, eff. January 1, 2016. Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 179 (S.B. 16), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2017.