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McKinney/Princeton Firearms Training
My most popular class is "Learn to Shoot", which is restricted to 6 people. We learn the safety rules, the differences between handguns, how they work, ammo types, loading, and the fundamentals of shooting. Then we shoot, in a very controlled, disciplined, and safe setting. In 12 years, we have never had an accident on my range. High-quality rental guns are available, in different calibers and sizes.
Yes, private instruction is available by request. Family groups of 4 or more are always private, and quite common. With private family groups, there are no age restrictions, within reason.
For public classes, 14, accompanied by an adult. For students younger than that, I find that works better in a private
family class, and I do a lot of those. In that setting, I can start younger ones on a .22 rifle, before going to a .22 handgun,
and maybe to a small center-fire pistol. In any case, I'm not sure they benefit any if they are under 10.
Yes, subject to the weather. You can drive onto the range, if it has not rained recently.
We have online training that will satisfy that. Watch the video, take a short online test,
pay a $50.00 fee, then download your Certificate.
No. Carry it in a car, but out of sight. If it is visible, you can be arrested.
I have hundreds of 5-Star reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook. These are compiled at Reviews.
Yes, the LEOSA Retired or Out-of-State Federal Officer Firearms Certificate (HR 218). Contact me to schedule that.
No. Contact Fred Harkins at Harkins Security to schedule that.
Yes. Dr. Keathley is certified separately by the NRA as a Pistol Instructor (ID 164587774) (Expert Rating) and a Range Safety Officer, and by the Texas Dept of Public Safety as an LTC Instructor and a School Safety Certification Instructor. In 2016, I provided specialized training for the Melissa ISD, that was widely publicized.
Current classes are listed on the Schedule of Classes, and linked to the registration page. Private instruction is offered for all disciplines. Contact us through the contact form.
We will provide that in detail, but in general, you must
Yes, but only if you are 18 or older and legally allowed to possess a handgun. Open carry is
not legal on any college campus.
That means that the License to Carry (LTC) is no longer required to carry a gun in public, either concealed or openly.
Some locations are still off-limits by State law, and some are off-limits per property owner
option. It is still your responsibility to know what those are, and since there is no longer any training requirement, you
are on your own. If you make a mistake, you can be arrested. There are 37 states that honor the Texas LTC, but if you don't
have one, you can only carry in Texas. Police tend to give a lot of respect and trust to license holders, and often give us
warnings instead of tickets. LTC holders stand out in interactions with law enforcement. Without that, you're just another
unknown factor carrying a gun.
A recent court ruling extended the right to carry
without a license to people aged 18-20 who are otherwise allowed to possess a handgun. You are still expected to
undertake proper training, or you could face legal liability, or even prison time, for an accidental shooting.
Download this guide to Constitutional Carry.
There is actually no difference at all. For 21 years, the handgun license was called the Concealed Handgun License (CHL).
In 2015, the Legislature passed Open Carry, so the word Concealed was no longer valid. The license name was changed to License
To Carry (LTC). It is largely a cosmetic change, and most people who do not have the license still refer to it as a CHL. In
all cases, the license allows both concealed and open carry.
Sometimes, but not always. Texas has a Reciprocal Agreement with 37 states. If your former state is one of those,
AND they will allow you to change your address to a Texas address AND they will now consider that license to be a
NON-RESIDENT license, then you are good to carry in Texas on that license. If you don't pass all three of those
requirements, then you may be arrested. Some states consider your license invalid if you move out of state (Texas
is not one of those). Do not contact DPS about this; contact the State Police in your former state.
No, there is no such requirement. In fact, it's probably not a good idea to qualify on a carry gun. Self-defense incidents
seldom happen at distances greater than 3-5 yards. The Proficiency test includes distances of 7-15 yards. Smaller guns are
at a slight disadvantage in the Proficiency test, and relatively few people use those for this class. In all cases, make
sure you can hit a paper plate consistently at 3 yards, and you should be fine.
That is a difficult question. The size gun you can conceal depends a lot on your work situation (work from home, work
from a truck, work in a large office, etc.), and whatever dress code you may need to conform to (jeans and shirt-tails
out, business casual, suit), and even the shape of your body. There are many variables, but a general answer is that a
gun small enough for most people to conceal is difficult for most people of lesser experience to shoot accurately. A
longer (and preferably heavier) gun has a shorter learning curve, but may not be optimal for concealed carry. Does that
mean you need two guns? That depends on your budget, but there are estimates that relatively few people own just one gun,
anyway. It would not be uncommon for someone to own both a carry gun and a bedroom gun. The bedroom gun should then be
larger and heavier. If you would prefer to not do that at this time, then plan on spending more time learning to shoot
the carry gun well. That means shooting 3-shot or 5-shot groups at a small target at close range, and concentrating on
the fundamentals, especially working the trigger, until the groups are small. Then move the target and repeat.
The most common carry guns are a small 9mm, a .380, or a .38 Special revolver, in that order. Attention should be paid to the size of
the grip relative to your hand, and your ability to rack the slide. I don't recommend you use a revolver, unless you
are fairly experienced with it. They typically have a much longer learning curve than a semi-automatic.
Some guns I own and highly recommend:
Glock 19 (compact 9mm)
Heckler & Koch VP9 SK (compact 9mm) (H&K calls this a subcompact)
Kimber "Mako" (large subcompact 9mm)
SIG Sauer P365 (small subcompact 9mm)
Yes. I recommend a longer model, like the Ruger Target, Colt Woodsman, Glock 44, or S&W Victory. The Colt 1911 (.22) (made under
license by Walther) and Browning .22 are also excellent choices. For this purpose, I DO NOT recommend a .22 revolver, as it is very slow
to reload. If that is all you have, I will let you shoot one of my semis, no charge.
You should not be concerned about that. While the written material is detailed, no one who pays attention to the presentations
should have a problem. The online test is quite easy. The shooting qualification is designed for someone who has shot a pistol a
few times, and attempted to learn the basic fundamentals. We will work with you on that if necessary, but if you are worried
about it, consider getting some private instruction first (we also offer that).
While the DPS has 180 days to make a determination, the average wait time is currently about 2-3 weeks.
The license expires on your first birthday after the fourth anniversary of issuance, so depending on the date, it
would be at least 4 years, and as much as almost 5 years.
Yes, but you can do it online. Renewals are for 5 years.
If you legally reside in Texas and were not admitted to the U.S. under a non-immigrant visa, you may be eligible. You would have to supply one of these documents:
That information is confidential, and can only be disclosed to law enforcement agencies.
Ordinary traffic offenses (not including DUI or hit-and-run) are Class C Misdemeanors. Only Class B and above, and felony
convictions, will disqualify you. You do have to be legally qualified to own a handgun. See
Eligibility Info for more details.
Red-dots ARE permitted; lasers and scopes ARE NOT. Put a piece of tape over the laser lens.
That is required for the paperwork we submit to DPS. We also have to verify it the day of class. Providing it beforehand
simply speeds up the check-in process.
While the State of Texas does take other forms of ID for other purposes, the Handgun License is different because you
would be required to give both your primary ID and your handgun license to law enforcement on request. Therefore, if
you don't have a driver's license from any state, you would have to get a Texas state ID. You can get that from the
driver's license office (DMV).
