This is the day the paperwork becomes real skill. Ten hours, one range, a state-approved instructor, and by the end of it you’ve done the thing Texas actually requires: demonstrated — live, in person — that you can handle a firearm safely and proficiently, and picked up defensive tactics you’ll actually use working a post.
Texas made this portion in-person for every armed applicant and every renewing officer, and honestly, we think the state got that one right. You can learn use-of-force law on a laptop; you can’t learn recoil management from a video. Our instructors are career law-enforcement and public-safety professionals who have worked the jobs you’re training for, and the day runs like a good shift: safety brief, fundamentals, drills, tactics, qualification, paperwork — organized, intense in the right places, and zero wasted time.
Both kinds of students book this same course. If you’re going for your first commission, this is step two after our online Level 3 course. If you’re renewing, this is your required in-person requalification — same range, same standards, and your PSP-31 proficiency certificate when you pass. Either way, you walk off the range knowing exactly which state step comes next, because we send you home with the map.
Not in DFW? The in-person portion has to happen with a DPS-approved instructor affiliated with a licensed training school, so we keep a vetted referral list instead of letting students guess. North Texas and DFW is us — see the dates. For South Texas, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Waco and Killeen, we recommend Go Heeled Firearms Training. For East Texas, we recommend Freedom Defense Training. If you choose an instructor who is not on that list, it is your responsibility to verify their credentials and that they are affiliated with a licensed DPS training school before you pay.
