Penal Code § 46.02(b) · Class A misdemeanor

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.

$2,500
Median cash bail
13%
Released on personal bond
111,288
Bail records
77%
Not convicted
246 days
Median time to disposition

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 asShare of bail recordsPossible confinementFineSource
Class A misdemeanor100% 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.

CountyRecordsMedian cash bailMiddle halfPersonal bondDenied
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 28,099 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:

77%
Not convicted (21,636)
Dismissed by the prosecutor68%
Dismissed after a diversion program0%
Dismissed, but convicted on a companion charge5%
Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case4%
No-billed by the grand jury0%
Acquitted at trial0%
9%
Deferred adjudication (2,571)
Deferred adjudication9%
13%
Convicted (3,752)
Guilty or no-contest plea12%
Plea to a lesser charge2%
Found guilty at trial0%
Convicted (plea vs. trial not recorded)0%

How long it takes: the median UNL CARRYING WEAPON charge took 246 days from filing to disposition (middle half: 119 – 446 days, 28,095 charges).

CountyDisposedNot convictedDeferredConvictedMedian days
Harris13,420 88%2%10% 216
Dallas7,072 73%13%13% 376
Collin2,124 37%38%25% 158
Galveston1,139 83%3%14% 205
Denton947 43%28%29% 243
FortBend779 84%5%11% 294
Williamson600 89%1%11% 299
Rockwall174 36%41%23% 168

Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (140) 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.

Recent UNL CARRYING WEAPON cases

CaseCountyFiledDisposedOutcome
CR-2025-05939-EDentonJul 11, 2025Aug 27, 2026Deferred adjudication
CR-2025-00923-EDentonFeb 7, 2025Aug 26, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
CR-2025-10073-CDentonDec 22, 2025Aug 26, 2026Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case
CR-2026-04923-ADentonJul 8, 2026Aug 25, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
26-CCR-250364FortBendJun 5, 2026Aug 25, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
CR-2026-03752-ADentonMay 26, 2026Aug 24, 2026Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case
CR-2026-00073-ADentonJan 8, 2026Aug 24, 2026Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case
20-CCR-215810FortBendMar 27, 2020Aug 24, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
M-22-57312DallasDec 19, 2022Aug 24, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
25-CCR-247990FortBendFeb 6, 2026Aug 21, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor

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Bail 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.