Penal Code § 46.04(e) · Third-degree felony

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.

$10,000
Median cash bail
3%
Released on personal bond
51,684
Bail records
43%
Not convicted
334 days
Median time to disposition

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 asShare of bail recordsPossible confinementFineSource
Third-degree felony100% 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.

CountyRecordsMedian cash bailMiddle halfPersonal bondDenied
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 11,059 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), 93% have reached a disposition:

43%
Not convicted (4,764)
Dismissed by the prosecutor26%
Dismissed after a diversion program0%
Dismissed, but convicted on a companion charge6%
Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case11%
No-billed by the grand jury0%
Acquitted at trial0%
15%
Deferred adjudication (1,605)
Deferred adjudication15%
42%
Convicted (4,620)
Guilty or no-contest plea40%
Plea to a lesser charge1%
Found guilty at trial0%
Convicted (plea vs. trial not recorded)1%

How long it takes: the median UNL POSS FIREARM BY FELON charge took 334 days from filing to disposition (middle half: 165 – 578 days, 11,056 charges).

CountyDisposedNot convictedDeferredConvictedMedian days
Harris6,357 52%13%35% 368
Dallas2,172 28%31%40% 260
Montgomery572 48%3%49% 201
Collin433 23%8%69% 244
Williamson150 31%5%64% 334

Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (70) 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 POSS FIREARM BY FELON cases

CaseCountyFiledDisposedOutcome
197551801010HarrisAug 6, 2026Aug 28, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
196473101010HarrisMay 19, 2026Aug 28, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
196645701010HarrisMay 31, 2026Aug 28, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
196172801010HarrisApr 27, 2026Aug 28, 2026Deferred adjudication
196846701010HarrisJun 15, 2026Aug 28, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
196253001010HarrisMay 3, 2026Aug 28, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
196689601010HarrisJun 3, 2026Aug 28, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
196717201010HarrisJun 5, 2026Aug 28, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
196573201010HarrisMay 26, 2026Aug 28, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
196091101010HarrisApr 21, 2026Aug 28, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor

Related charges

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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.