UNL POSS FIREARM BY FELON
Unlawful Possession of Firearm by Felon in Texas: what bail is set at, how often a personal bond is granted, and what usually happens to the charge.
What “UNL POSS FIREARM BY FELON” means
Texas Penal Code § 46.04(a) defines unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. A person previously convicted of a felony commits the offense by possessing a firearm either at any location before the fifth anniversary of the person's release from confinement or from supervision under community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision, whichever is later, or, after that five-year window, at any location other than the premises at which the person lives. Possession means actual care, custody, control, or management, and can be proved through circumstances linking the defendant to the weapon rather than physical holding. For this statute, an out-of-state or federal conviction counts as a felony if it is designated a felony, contains the elements of a Texas felony, or is punishable by a year or more in a penitentiary. Under § 46.04(e), this offense is a third-degree felony.
| Charged as | Possible confinement | Fine | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third-degree felony | 2 to 10 years in prison (TDCJ) | Fine up to $10,000 | Penal Code § 12.34 |
Ranges are the statutory maximums for the level; enhancements, prior convictions and plea agreements change what is actually imposed.
Bail for UNL POSS FIREARM BY FELON in Texas
Across 51,684 Texas bail settings for this charge (138 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $10,000 (middle half: $5,000 – $25,000). 3% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 3,875 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (8,406 records), the median was $14,500 and 10% got a personal bond.
| County | Records | Median cash bail | Middle half | Personal bond | Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarrant | 6,597 | $5,000 | $3,000 – $12,000 | 0% | 4% |
| Dallas | 5,699 | $15,000 | $5,000 – $40,000 | 0% | 7% |
| Travis | 3,514 | $10,000 | $7,000 – $20,000 | 14% | 8% |
| Bexar | 2,970 | $20,000 | $10,000 – $25,000 | 0% | 14% |
| Harris | 2,369 | $15,000 | $7,500 – $25,000 | 30% | 4% |
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 POSS FIREARM BY FELON charge
Of 9,476 UNL POSS FIREARM BY FELON charges filed 2019–2023 across 15 counties (Bastrop, Bell, Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Denton, FortBend, Galveston, Harris, Hays, Montgomery, Rockwall, Travis, Williamson), 92% have reached a disposition:
How long it takes: the median UNL POSS FIREARM BY FELON charge took 334 days from filing to disposition (middle half: 171 – 571 days, 9,474 charges).
| County | Disposed | Not convicted | Deferred | Convicted | Median days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 6,382 | 52% | 13% | 35% | 368 |
| Montgomery | 573 | 48% | 3% | 49% | 200 |
| Dallas | 554 | 28% | 27% | 44% | 176 |
| Collin | 439 | 23% | 8% | 69% | 244 |
| Williamson | 150 | 31% | 5% | 64% | 334 |
Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (68) 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 POSS FIREARM BY FELON 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
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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.