UNL CARRYING WEAPON
Unlawful Carrying Weapon in Texas: what bail is set at, how often a personal bond is granted, and what usually happens to the charge.
What “UNL CARRYING WEAPON” means
Texas Penal Code § 46.02 governs unlawful carrying of weapons. Since Texas's 2021 permitless-carry law, most adults 21 and older may carry a handgun, and § 46.02 reaches the remaining situations. Under subsection (a), a person commits an offense by intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carrying a handgun away from the person's own premises or vehicle while younger than 21, or within five years of a conviction for assault causing bodily injury, deadly conduct, terroristic threat, or firearm-related disorderly conduct. Under subsection (a-1), carrying a handgun in the person's own vehicle or watercraft is an offense if the handgun is in plain view and unholstered, or if the person is engaged in criminal activity beyond minor traffic offenses or is prohibited from possessing a firearm. These variants, along with public display outside a holster and carrying while intoxicated, are Class A misdemeanors under § 46.02(b).
| Charged as | Possible confinement | Fine | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A misdemeanor | Up to 1 year in county jail | Fine up to $4,000 | Penal Code § 12.21 |
Ranges are the statutory maximums for the level; enhancements, prior convictions and plea agreements change what is actually imposed.
Bail for UNL CARRYING WEAPON in Texas
Across 111,288 Texas bail settings for this charge (162 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $2,500 (middle half: $1,500 – $5,000). 13% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 1,555 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (13,094 records), the median was $2,000 and 23% got a personal bond.
| County | Records | Median cash bail | Middle half | Personal bond | Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarrant | 13,212 | $1,500 | $750 – $3,000 | 29% | 1% |
| Dallas | 10,694 | $1,500 | $1,000 – $2,500 | 6% | 2% |
| Bexar | 8,795 | $3,000 | $2,000 – $5,000 | 10% | 3% |
| Travis | 5,544 | $5,000 | $3,500 – $8,000 | 38% | 1% |
| Denton | 3,440 | $2,500 | $1,500 – $5,000 | 5% | 0% |
Showing the 5 counties with the most records; use the selector for any county with at least 30. Per-charge bond settings on original magistrations, from Texas OCA bail reporting under SB 6. Bail is set case by case — these are statistics, not a prediction.
What usually happens to a UNL CARRYING WEAPON charge
Of 22,587 UNL CARRYING WEAPON charges filed 2019–2023 across 15 counties (Bastrop, Bell, Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Denton, FortBend, Galveston, Harris, Hays, Montgomery, Rockwall, Travis, Williamson), 93% have reached a disposition:
How long it takes: the median UNL CARRYING WEAPON charge took 217 days from filing to disposition (middle half: 102 – 382 days, 22,584 charges).
| County | Disposed | Not convicted | Deferred | Convicted | Median days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 13,493 | 88% | 2% | 10% | 215 |
| Collin | 2,158 | 37% | 38% | 25% | 158 |
| Dallas | 1,407 | 72% | 11% | 16% | 227 |
| Galveston | 1,153 | 83% | 3% | 14% | 205 |
| Denton | 949 | 43% | 28% | 29% | 243 |
| FortBend | 788 | 84% | 5% | 11% | 292 |
| Williamson | 608 | 89% | 1% | 11% | 298 |
| Rockwall | 174 | 36% | 41% | 23% | 168 |
Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (50) covers waived counts, bond forfeitures, transfers and unrecorded outcomes. Bexar County records disposition dates but not outcomes, so it counts toward time-to-disposition only. Tarrant County criminal records are not in this dataset.
How real UNL CARRYING WEAPON cases ended
Individual cases from the public court record, with the disposition and sentence text exactly as the clerk entered it. Every case is decided on its own facts.
Ended without a conviction
Deferred adjudication
Ended in a conviction
Related charges
- UNL CARRY WEAPON W/ FELONY CONV § 46.02(e)(1)
- UNL CARRY WEAPON W/ MISD FV CONV § 46.02(e)(2)
Charged with UNL CARRYING WEAPON?
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Find a Defense AttorneyBail data: Texas Office of Court Administration magistration reports (SB 6), Apr 2022 – Jun 2025. Court outcomes: county district and county clerk records. Statistics describe past cases and are not legal advice; every case is decided on its own facts.