Mesquite calls itself the Rodeo Capital of Texas, and if there’s one thing rodeo culture and responsible gun ownership have in common, it’s respect for doing things the right way. ETXSTA brings the classroom half of the Texas License to Carry course fully online, so Mesquite residents can complete it around work, family, and everything else on the calendar.
From Sign-Up to Certificate: How It Works
A Texas LTC requires two things: classroom instruction and a live-fire skills test. ETXSTA puts the classroom piece entirely online and self-paced.
The coursework covers:
- Texas firearm laws
- Legal use of force and self-defense
- Safe handling and storage of a handgun
- Resolving conflicts without violence
- Proper conduct with law enforcement while carrying
Finish the coursework and instantly download your LTC-104 Certificate of Training, the official Texas DPS document you’ll need on file for your application. From there, you’ll book your live-fire proficiency test with an ETXSTA-certified instructor in Mesquite or a nearby location.
What Happens on the Range
The Texas course of fire is straightforward but unforgiving on accuracy — 50 rounds broken into three distances:
- 3 yards: 20 rounds
- 7 yards: 20 rounds
- 15 yards: 10 rounds
A 70% score or higher gets you a pass. Nervous about your shooting? Don’t be — Texas allows up to three attempts to pass both the written exam and the range test within a 12-month period. Also worth noting: training and proficiency certificates remain valid for two years, but they need to still be current on the day you file your LTC application with DPS.
Certain applicants are exempt from the range test altogether: active-duty military members and veterans with a qualifying range score or firearms familiarization training within the past 10 years, state correctional officers, and county jailers trained on the job.
Who Can Apply
Before enrolling, make sure you meet Texas’s eligibility requirements. Applicants must:
- Be 18 or older
- Have no felony conviction
- Have no Class A or B misdemeanor conviction within the last five years
- Not be restricted by a protective or restraining order
- Have no active or pending criminal charges
- Not be a chemically dependent person
- Be qualified under state and federal law to possess a handgun
- Be of sound mind
- Not be finally determined delinquent on child support obligations
Worth Getting, Even With Permitless Carry
Texas’s constitutional carry law doesn’t erase the value of holding an LTC. License holders get reciprocity in 37 other states, skip the NICS background check when purchasing from a licensed dealer, gain extra legal protections, and can carry in some places that permitless carry doesn’t cover.
ETXSTA makes the Mesquite process simple: online classroom, local range test, done.