Submitted for 2009 Fall issue of
Texas Concealed Handgun Magazine
Texas Association of Concealed Carry Instructors
A new association, of CHL Instructors has formed, expectations are high and Charter Members are signing up. Only Texas DPS Certified CHL Instructors may join, as Charter Members or as a regular member. The need for a new Instructor's association had floated around for some time and ever since 2007 several Instructors have called and expressed their passionate desire for one; others acquiesced to it when approached for their comments about establishing one. Finally, in June of 2009 the groundwork to establish the new association was begun in earnest and new members began to sign up.
This new association wants to work with other gun associations and not against them. It wants to complement the circle of associations and not compete with them. In fact, most new members already hold memberships in NRA, TSRA, TCHA, and others; some of these new members even hold Life Memberships in the other associations. These new T.A.C.C.I. members believe there is a genuine need for an association that will specifically look out for their needs and interests; one that will not be hampered by multitiered commitments to various groups. Their core mission will be to work on issues affecting CHL Instructors, to approach existing associations with them to attain their understanding, backing and approval. This new association will then do what is necessary to achieve any changes that it believes need to be made on its' behalf; it is further hoped that others with greater political capital will help them to attain those changes.
Members of T.A.C.C.I. further believe that there is a definite and specific place for them in the current structure of gun associations. First, all of our present associations have their own goals and agendas to consider. Secondly, we believe that they all contribute to Texas CHL in one way or another. Third, these associations may not be able to attend to Instructors' needs and interests or may not be structured to do so; for example: some currently passed laws have diminished Instructor's business income and no one seems be addressing it. Nonetheless, there is a place in the gun association structure where T.A.C.C.I. can, and will, fit.
At the top is the NRA - that's National level, and at its' heart is rifle issues, guns rights, hunting rights, 2nd Amendment rights, etc.; But not Texas CHL Instructor issues, it handles everyone's rights to gun ownership and I'm durn proud to be a member of it.
At the State level is TSRA, it has achieved milestones in CHL rights for Texans, is heavily involved in gun ownership rights; works miracles at the State level with many CHL issues affecting the general public. I am a member of TSRA as well, but where does it address specific Instructor's issues?
Then, at the Local level, there is TCHA. It initially began as an Instructors Association but is now open to the general public; and that's a good thing. CHL holders all over Texas need something to belong to, even "concerned citizens" can join…that's people that are not CHL holders or carriers but may believe in our right to carry. Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors Association (TXCHIA) had to evolve into Texas Concealed Handgun Association (TCHA) as it no longer accepted CHL instructors only. "TCHA cannot address a specific group's concerns as it must represent the whole;" so that leaves CHL Instructors in a pickle with no one paying them much mind, and no one really representing them. Where does T.A.C.C.I. fit in? Right there between TSRA and TCHA, between the State level and the Local level. From the top, at the National level is the NRA, next, at the State level, is the "TSRA", then T.A.C.C.I. will fit in at the next level as it will seek political changes as necessary, and finally TCHA at the local level.
I'm a life member of TCHA and I still recommend to my students that they join this organization; sometimes I sign them up on the spot, then I further recommend to all Instructors that they join and support every single gun association that they can afford to support. As a Texas DPS Certified CHL Instructor though, I still need an organization that will deal specifically with issues affecting me as an Instructor and not with CHL issues that affect the general public only.
To Join
Call 713-367-5117 if you are in the Houston Metro Area
Texas Wide - call in toll free at 1-877-300-5213.
"One for all, and all for one."
Articles of and by the Membership in
Texas Association of Concealed Carry Instructors
2009 T.A.C.C.I. Gift/ Award
The difference between "a gift and a reward" came with blurred borders for us at TACCI this year; however not so for our recipient. For us, we wanted to bestow some form of acknowledgement upon Sgt. Jimmy Holmes for the out-standing work he did in 2008, and even through part of the 2009 year, on behalf of the TX DPS Certified CHL Instructors.
We, Ms. Linda and I, have sat with, talked with, listened to, ate lunch with (even had some huge Breakfast Tacos straight from Giddings with), discussed with, analyzed with, and finally, just plain observed with…the many aspects of CHL, the program, the participants, the enactors of legislation, those in charge of its implementation, etc, etc, etc. The "we" just mentioned at the first is Mrs. Linda Orozco and myself, husband, Antonio; purveyors of CHL related merchandise and holders of various CHL related Gun Association memberships.
The conclusion of the matter is this: we had not encountered anyone as passionate about the CHL program since Sgt. Starr Riddle. There have been others, we are sure, just as passionate and concerned for the program as Sgt. Holmes during this interim. Time and space allows us not the freedom to expound on the rest of the DPS staff, or even those at the forefront of it all now: Lt. Hitt and Sgt. Bamsch. But over the past 2 ½ years that we have known Sgt. Holmes we have become, not just more involved in, but passionate about, the same things he has been; if you have the inclination (and this is a biggee) to let your ideals be infiltrated by his, you'll walk away with the same amount of energy and passion for CHL as he carries. To that, we salute him as he moves on to other duties, and out of respect for what he stands, have chosen to award him The Golden Whistle Award. It is the first such award by us at TACCI though it has been followed with another, but now is not the time to discuss it.
The award is also a gift as I mentioned early on. Having observed Sgt. Holmes' hard work, sacrifice, and duty to and for CHL, we just had to give him something! Nobody gets paid enough for such motivation! The award is in recognition of the outstanding work he has done on behalf of CHL. We alone, as Instructor and observers of his passion for the CHL program concluded this; the "gift" is because we have personally known him and came away desiring to do something for him we feel everyone would want to do…if they just had the time to sit and explore with him. And what is his plan for it? He said it he was going to place it on display with other like awards given to DPS' personnel. What an honor for us, what a deal. What a testimony to Texas DPS' credit. Thank you Sgt. Holmes.
Reprint by permission: Article being considered for print in 2010 March/April TSRA Sportsman
CHL Instructor Recruitments - 2009
Georgetown - Antonio and Erlinda Orozco have had a summer full of fun signing up CHL Instructors as new TSRA members, while working the current CHL Instructors renewal classes; Texas CHL Instructors have had to travel to Georgetown every two years to renew their Instructor licenses. As recruiters, Anthony and Erlinda were very instrumental in TCHA's 2007 spurt of membership growth and have now turned their attention to TSRA's Recruitment Drive; Antonio says: "There's something about jumping in to help a cause that both drives us and energizes us." Erlinda has always been his "backup plan" and contributes 100% effort.
CHL Instructors have begun to "pitch in" on the current recruitment drive and the numbers are beginning to show; according to Anthony, one Instructor insisted on having 3,000 membership application brochures sent to him saying: "we clear over 3,000 students a year! (what a deal) Another one said: "I give my students a $20.00 discount on my rates for being members of TSRA and NRA." Back at the classes, they are held twice weekly with about 50 Instructors in one class and then 50 more in the second class; everyone is there for a one day renewal class which also includes rigid proficiency testing at the DPS Gun Range in Florence. Classes ran from late August through mid December of 2009.
TX DPS Certified CHL Instructors are at the heart of our CHL program in Texas. They carry out the final phase of what has been a long drawn out, but victorious battle, over gun rights and the right to defend one's self. While keeping a gun at home has not drawn monumental ire from the "you know who" guys, carrying a concealed weapon in and out of public areas for self defense nearly caused civil war. Now we have "right to carry" laws but the fight for that right continues and must be supported by all of us who dare to believe in our right to bear arms.
Recruiters filling in this segment of the Texas concealed carry program have face to face influence on each new wave of CHL carriers. Reaching them (Instructors) for TSRA and then enlisting their aid in signing up new members plays a vital step in our growth. Each day, week, or month they will train new CHL holders, many which hold no membership in any gun rights associations. Another plus is that these Instructors have already trained many CHL carriers, some in the thousands, and enlisting them as Paid Recruiters will motivate them even more to contact past students to send them TSRA's membership recruitment application brochure; what a deal! Fact: Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day, Pay them to do it and they'll fish for you for a lifetime!(you can quote me on that) The moral of this story? Let's sign up more CHL Instructors.
Antonio Orozco III.
Article and picture appeared in
the 2010 January/February issue
of TSRA Sportsman - p.17
