Texas resident with Arizona non resident chl

[justramit]

I have a couple questions.  When I was about 19 I got in a serious car accident and had been drinking.  I was charged with a felony intoxication assault I believe and my lawyer talked me into taking a plea bargain for aggrivated assault with deadly weapon and getting deffered adjudification for it so I wouldn't take a chance in court of getting convicted and totally losing gun my rights. Well I completed everything I had to do and am now 36 years old.  I know texas counts deffered as a conviction when it comes to chl so a few years ago I applied for and received a non resident arizona chl.  Well earlier this year I made a huge mistake and accidentally left my handgun in a bathroom stall at a whataburger and the police got it before I realized it and went back.  Well I went to police station to get my gun and officer said they were keeping my gun and took my chl away from me. Told me he didn't know how I got that because I am a convicted felon and there was no way Arizona should have given me CHL. I told him I wasn't that I had deffered adjudification and that I completed probation a long time ago.  He said it didn't matter it is same as being a felon and I can't even have a gun.  I didn't have money to mess with it at time and was afraid if I pushed issue they might charge me with something.  From everything I have read he is wrong and I have bought lots of rifles and pistols and never had a problem. Am I legal carrying in Texas with Arizona CHL like I was?  I would think if I wasn't they would have pressed charges on me?  How do I go about getting my gun back or should I just leave it alone?  It was a cheap bersa BP9CC and I figured it would probably cost me more to fight it than buy another. I can get another copy of my CHL from Arizona, just wanted to make sure I was legal.

[TexasLawShield]

Justramit,

You are correct that in regards to a CHL application, Texas includes deferred adjudication in the definition for conviction. However, deferred adjudications are not included in the definition for both state and federal laws that deal with losing your rights to purchase or possess firearms. If another state does not have the same restrictions for its carry license and you are able to receive this license, and we have a reciprocity agreement with that state, then you will be able to carry in Texas.