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Licensing advisory panel recommends cutting firearms examiner experience waiver from five years to three
Summary
The Licensing Advisory Committee voted to recommend that the full commission propose an amendment to section 6 51.207 to reduce the experience needed to qualify for a waiver for firearms examiners from five years to three, a change staff said responds to community feedback and could help clear lab backlogs.
The Licensing Advisory Committee on April 2026 voted to recommend that the full commission propose an amendment to section 6 51.207 to change the waiver provision for firearms examiners from five years of credible experience to three years.
Staff member introduced the proposed change, saying the committee was "asking you all to discuss potentially revising this rule for firearms examiners...based on feedback from the community that 3 years is sufficient" to fill gaps for missing coursework or education components. Committee members said the change is intended to help laboratories staff positions more quickly; one member noted the Houston Forensic Science Center has "a pretty big backlog in firearms."
Members clarified the scope would apply only to the mandatory licensing category for firearms examiners and would not extend to voluntary license categories. A staff member explained that the rules contain a separate section for voluntary licenses and "there's not a waiver included in there." Several members supported revisiting other disciplines later but said the current draft focuses on firearms.
The committee moved, seconded, and approved a motion to recommend the proposed rule change to the full commission, with the chair stating the motion "carries." The vote was taken by voice; individual roll-call tallies are not recorded in the transcript.
Next steps: staff will prepare the recommended rule proposal subject to non-substantive revisions from the Office of the Governor and the Texas Register before the proposal is sent to the full commission for consideration.
Quotes in context
"We are asking to you all to discuss potentially revising this rule for firearms examiners...based on feedback from the community that 3 years is sufficient," Staff member said when introducing the proposal.
"The 3 year component seems more feasible," a Committee member said, adding that training programs commonly include about 18 months of coursework and six months of supervised casework.
What it does and does not do
The committee recommendation would lower the years-of-experience threshold for the waiver only for firearms examiners; the five-year requirement would remain for other mandatory disciplines unless the committee later proposes additional changes.
The committee did not adopt a new rule at this meeting; it only voted to recommend that the full commission propose the change and to transmit the draft for required administrative review.
Ending
Staff will finalize the draft language and return the recommended proposal for the full commission’s rulemaking process; no effective date was set at this meeting.
