Plano CHL Classes

	Welcome to Plano CHL (DBA McKinney Firearms Training). We offer classes for the Texas Concealed Handgun License in the Collin County area, including Plano, Allen and McKinney. CHL classes are offered 2-3 times each month. Classes have been filling up quickly! Learn more about the Plano CHL class here!

I have taken both the beginner class and the LTC class with Sandy at McKinney Firearms. Both classes were very informative and enjoyable. I intend to send my college age kids to the beginner class. Thanks Sandy!!

Lee S.

Submitted via Google

We provide

Texas CHL Classes

in the areas of Plano, Allen, McKinney, and local communities. The cost is just $75.00. To fulfill state requirements for the Concealed Handgun License, you must start an application online with DPS, make an appointment for fingerprinting, and attend a class. The instructor will certify that you have passed both the written test and the shooting proficiency, and you will submit that form to the state. After the state runs a background check, your license will be issued. If you need to learn how to shoot, please see McKinney Firearms Training for that.

The Texas Concealed Handgun License class includes material in several areas, covering

Laws around carrying a handgun
Laws around the use of force and deadly force
Proper Handgun handling
Dispute Mitigation
Handgun Storage

Plano CHL classes conform to Texas state requirements, and require about 4 hours, plus a written test and a shooting proficiency test. This is a no-fail course.

We follow NRA and DPS protocols, and we take handgun safety seriously. Please see the CHL Class Schedule, or contact Plano CHL with questions.

Click the links below and to the left for more information on the class, the instructor, FAQs, useful links, and tips to maximize your experience.

About Us

Welcome to Plano CHL! I am Dr. Gilbert H. "Sandy" Keathley. I have been a gun enthusiast for many years, having grown up in a family of hunters. My first experience shooting was going to the city dump and shooting at bottles, using a 1939 Mossberg .22 bolt-action rifle that my grandfather bought by mail order from Montgomery Wards (You never heard of Montgomery Wards?) (I still have that rifle). Years later, I shot the M14 and M16 rifles in the U.S. Army, where I was awarded the Bronze Star for service in the Cambodia Campaign in Viet Nam (1970). It was after military service that I started shooting semi-automatic pistols, and later, revolvers. Over the next 30 years, I taught music in both classroom settings, and in one-on-one situations, in places as diverse as Colorado State University, Southern Methodist University, Richland College (Dallas), and public schools in Irving, Richardson, and Plano. I bring to my classes the benefit of over 20 years of teaching experience in the college classroom. I had always been a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, but in recent years I have come to realize what a terrible mistake our society has made, with the invention of the "gun-free zone". That is simply an invitation for the criminally insane to stage assaults, free from any fear that someone might stop them. After all, they are crazy, not stupid. I went into Firearms Education because I want to see more people learn to use a handgun (or rifle), and have them available for emergencies, but it is important that they do so safely, and can shoot accurately. I am also a Federally Licensed collector of "Curio & Relic" rifles, with a special interest in WWII Soviet combat rifles (Mosin Nagant).
What I can offer you: I hold NRA Certifications in Pistol Instructor and Range Safety Officer. I am a DPS-Certified CHL Instructor, and have been vetted by the FBI. I am a U.S. Army veteran (25th Infantry, Viet Nam), and proud of it. I am experienced, and carry liability insurance. I offer classes at convenient locations in North Dallas. I will make sure you can pass the course. I will make the process simple. I have been rated by my clients on Google. Not ready now? Submit your email for notices of upcoming classes. Opt out any time.

Check the class schedule, and reserve a seat now. I will send you more details soon about the class. I know it sounds like marketing-talk, but classes have been filling up early, often over a week ahead.

Shooting Tips

The Texas CHL Proficiency test is relatively easy, but even experienced shooters will sometimes have trouble with it, if they are too casual about it. By trouble, I mean getting a score below 200 (passing is 175). Very, very few people fail the shooting test, but even then all it takes is a few reminders about the fundamentals of shooting, and a retest, and they are fine. As for passing it with a low score, I think, if you are going to carry a gun sometimes, you want to be as competent with it as possible, so I would hope that you want to score above 230. Here are some tips that will help you do that. You can, and should, practice these at a range before coming to the class.

ALWAYS handle your gun with the index finger along the frame of the gun, and keep the muzzle pointed downrange at all times.
Make sure your gun has been cleaned and lubed. Semi-autos have grooves in the receiver for the slide to ride in. Those have to be cleaned of carbon residue and oiled (or greased) so the slide has as little friction as possible as it cycles through its action.
Pay attention to your stance. Flex the knees, bend at the waist, lean forward in a defensive crouch. It may be psychological, but that allows you to focus all your energy to the front of the gun. Shoot like it's life or death.
Wrap your left (or non-shooting) hand around the other tightly with fingers over knuckles, and both thumbs pointed downrange (on revolver only, cross the non-shooting thumb over the other).
Pay attention to sight-alignment. A tiny error here can mean 8 inches at the target.
Here's the big one: squeeeeeeze the trigger slowly until the gun fires, and be surprised when it does. If you jerk or pop the trigger, you will miss.
Hold your position after the shot; try not to respond to the recoil.

The first 20 shots (100 points) are at 3 yards. The next 20 shots are at 7 yards. If you follow the suggestions above, you can pass before you ever get to the 15 yard shots.

Class Schedules

Plano Concealed Handgun License Classes, Plano, Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Princeton, Anna, Collin County Texas

Plano CHL Classes

Welcome to Plano CHL (DBA McKinney Firearms Training). We offer classes for the Texas Concealed Handgun License in the Collin County area, including Plano, Allen and McKinney. CHL classes are offered 2-3 times each month.

Texas CHL Classes