Who are the best gun crime defense lawyers in Rockwall County, Texas?

The best gun crime defense lawyers in Rockwall County, Texas understand that Texas firearms law changed fundamentally on September 1, 2021, when constitutional carry under HB 1927 took effect — and that every gun charge defense in Rockwall County must begin with the question of whether the alleged conduct was even a crime under current law. Rockwall County is a high-LTC and high-firearms-ownership community, and many gun charges that arise from traffic stops, pat-downs, and vehicle searches involve conduct that HB 1927 now makes entirely lawful for non-prohibited persons. Gun charges are prosecuted by the Rockwall County District Attorney's office under DA Kenda Culpepper and heard at the Rockwall County Courthouse, 1111 E. Yellow Jacket Lane, Rockwall, TX 75087. Whether the conduct violated current law is the first question; whether the stop, search, or seizure that produced the evidence was lawful under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 38.23's no-good-faith-exception exclusionary rule is the second. Deandra Grant Law has defended gun charges in Rockwall County for more than 30 years from an office at 1101 Ridge Road, Suite 201, Rockwall, TX 75087. Managing Partner Deandra Grant is board-certified in criminal law and a Texas Super Lawyer since 2011. Partner Douglas Huff leads the criminal division. Federal firearms charges are handled by Of Counsel James Lee Bright in the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas. 500+ trials to verdict statewide. Call (214) 617-0847 for a free consultation.

What did HB 1927 constitutional carry change about Texas gun law for Rockwall County residents?

HB 1927, which took effect September 1, 2021, created constitutional carry in Texas — meaning that most Texans who are 21 years of age or older and who are not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm may now carry a handgun, either concealed or openly, anywhere in Texas where carry is not specifically prohibited by law, without obtaining or carrying a License to Carry. This was a fundamental change from prior Texas law, which required an LTC for public carry of a handgun. For Rockwall County defendants, this change has direct consequences for gun charge defense: conduct that was a criminal offense before September 1, 2021 — carrying a handgun in public without an LTC — is now entirely lawful for a non-prohibited person age 21 or older in a non-prohibited location. Any gun charge analysis for conduct occurring after September 1, 2021 must apply the current framework. The License to Carry still exists and remains available. LTC holders enjoy reciprocity recognition in other states that recognize Texas permits. LTC holders are also subject to a duty to inform law enforcement during any official stop or detention that they are carrying a handgun and are carrying under their LTC — a requirement that does not apply to constitutional carry holders under current law. Constitutional carry under HB 1927 does not change who is prohibited from possessing firearms: prior felony convictions, misdemeanor family violence convictions under the Lautenberg Amendment, certain mental health adjudications, domestic violence protective orders, and other disqualifying conditions continue to prohibit firearm possession and carry regardless of HB 1927. Constitutional carry is not a defense for a prohibited person. And constitutional carry does not permit carry into prohibited locations — courts, schools, government buildings, polling places, racetracks, licensed premises (bars and restaurants that derive more than 51% of income from alcohol), and other specifically designated locations remain off-limits. Whether the defendant was actually in a prohibited location, whether they were a non-prohibited person at the time of the alleged offense, and whether the conduct occurred before or after September 1, 2021 are the threshold factual and legal questions in every post-HB 1927 UCW case.

What is unlawful carrying of a weapon in Rockwall County after constitutional carry?

Unlawful carrying of a weapon under Texas Penal Code Section 46.02 was significantly rewritten by HB 1927. Under the current framework, the offense applies in two primary categories. First, a person commits UCW if they carry a handgun, illegal knife, or club in a location where carry is prohibited by law — regardless of whether they hold an LTC or are otherwise authorized to carry. Common prohibited locations in Rockwall County include the Rockwall County Courthouse and all court facilities, school campuses and school-sponsored events, polling places during voting, facilities operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and licensed premises that derive more than 51% of their income from the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption (indicated by a red 51% sign). Whether a specific location qualifies as a prohibited location, whether the defendant was aware of the prohibition, and whether proper notice was posted are all factual issues that the defense examines in every UCW case. Second, a person commits UCW if they carry a handgun while disqualified from possessing a firearm — meaning a person who is a felon, who has a qualifying misdemeanor family violence conviction, who is subject to a qualifying domestic violence protective order, or who is otherwise prohibited under state or federal law and who carries a handgun has committed UCW regardless of the constitutional carry framework. For Rockwall County residents who carry regularly under HB 1927, the most common UCW scenarios now involve entering a prohibited location while carrying — sometimes unknowingly in a building that lacked required signage — and carrying during a period of temporary disqualification from a pending criminal proceeding or protective order that the defendant may not have known eliminated their carry authorization. Both categories turn on factual issues that experienced defense counsel can examine and contest.

What is the Lautenberg Amendment and how does it affect Rockwall County gun owners?

The Lautenberg Amendment — codified at 18 U.S.C. Section 922(g)(9) — is a federal law that permanently prohibits any person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing any firearm or ammunition under any circumstances. This prohibition is broader, more permanent, and more difficult to remove than most gun owners realize. It applies to any misdemeanor conviction — not just felonies — that involves the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by a person in a domestic relationship with the victim. Under federal law, a domestic relationship includes current or former spouses, current or former intimate partners, parents, children, and persons who share a child. The Lautenberg prohibition applies to all persons — including active-duty military members and law enforcement officers — and it cannot be removed by completion of probation, by state pardon, or by Texas expunction or nondisclosure of the underlying conviction. A Rockwall County resident who receives a Texas Class A misdemeanor assault conviction with a family violence finding — even a single first-offense conviction with a probated sentence and no prison time — is permanently federally prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition for the rest of their life, regardless of all future law-abiding conduct. This prohibition interacts directly with constitutional carry: HB 1927 did not change who is prohibited from carrying, and a person subject to the Lautenberg disability cannot carry under constitutional carry, cannot maintain their LTC, and commits a federal felony by possessing any firearm including one stored at home for personal protection. For Rockwall County residents charged with a family violence assault who are also firearms owners — a large overlap in this community — the defense strategy must account for the Lautenberg consequence from the first consultation. Avoiding a family violence finding through vigorous defense, through negotiated disposition to a non-family-violence offense, or through a not-guilty verdict is the only way to protect the defendant's permanent firearms rights.

How is constructive possession of a firearm defended in Rockwall County?

Constructive possession is the legal theory the prosecution uses to charge a person with firearm possession when the firearm was not found on their person — when it was located in a vehicle, a residence, or another location where multiple people had access. To prove constructive possession, the prosecution must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant knew the firearm was present and exercised care, custody, and control over it. Mere proximity to a firearm is not sufficient to establish constructive possession. A firearm found under the passenger seat of a vehicle where two people were present does not automatically establish that either person possessed it — the prosecution must present evidence linking the specific defendant to knowledge of and control over the firearm. In Rockwall County constructive possession cases, the defense examines: the layout and configuration of the space where the firearm was found and whose area of access it was within; whether any physical evidence — fingerprints, DNA, ammunition of the same caliber found on the defendant's person — links the defendant specifically to the firearm; whether cell phone records, text messages, or other communications reference the firearm in a way that identifies the owner; whether co-occupants of the vehicle or premises had their own prior firearms history or current charges that make their possession more likely; and whether statements made by the defendant at the time of the stop were the product of a custodial interrogation that required Miranda warnings. Douglas Huff's Garrett Discovery digital forensics training applies directly to constructive possession cases involving cell phone extraction evidence, where investigators may use digital forensics tools to search for communications about firearms — but that evidence must be properly authenticated and obtained through a lawful search warrant to be admissible under Article 38.23.

How does Article 38.23 apply to gun charges arising from Rockwall County traffic stops?

The majority of Rockwall County gun charges arise from traffic stops — either along I-30, on US-67 through Rockwall and Fate, or on local roads in Royse City, Heath, and McLendon-Chisholm — where the firearm is discovered during a vehicle search following the stop. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 38.23 is the Texas exclusionary rule, and unlike its federal counterpart, it carries no good faith exception: evidence obtained through an unlawful stop, search, or seizure must be suppressed regardless of whether the officer who conducted it believed in good faith that it was lawful. For traffic stop gun cases, the Article 38.23 analysis examines: whether the initial traffic stop was justified by reasonable suspicion of a specific, articulable traffic violation or criminal activity — a stop based solely on the officer's subjective unease about the occupants, the neighborhood, or the time of day does not satisfy reasonable suspicion; whether the officer had probable cause or valid consent to search the vehicle, and whether any consent given was truly voluntary rather than coerced by a show of authority; the scope of any consent — consent to search the interior of a vehicle does not automatically authorize a search of a locked container, the trunk, or a passenger's personal belongings; whether a pat-down of the defendant's person was supported by specific articulable facts that the defendant was armed and dangerous, as required by Terry v. Ohio, or whether the officer used a pretextual safety concern to justify a search for firearms without the required level of suspicion; and whether any statements made by the defendant at the scene were elicited in custodial interrogation without Miranda warnings being given. Without the firearm, the prosecution cannot prove possession — making the Article 38.23 suppression analysis the highest-value defense tool in the majority of Rockwall County gun cases.

Do I need a gun crime defense lawyer in Rockwall County, Texas?

Yes — and the intersection of post-HB 1927 constitutional carry law, the permanent federal Lautenberg firearms disability from family violence convictions, the federal felon-in-possession prohibition that cannot be cured by state civil rights restoration, and the Article 38.23 suppression framework makes Rockwall County gun charge defense more legally complex than in most jurisdictions. A generalist criminal defense attorney who does not understand the post-HB 1927 framework may not recognize that the conduct charged is now entirely lawful for a non-prohibited person — and may negotiate a plea to a firearms offense that the prosecution could not have proven at trial under current law. An attorney who does not understand the Lautenberg Amendment may allow a family violence assault disposition that permanently extinguishes a Rockwall County firearms owner's constitutional rights for life without adequately advising them of that consequence before they accept it. An attorney unfamiliar with the constructive possession framework may not investigate the co-occupant's connection to the firearm or challenge the prosecution's linking evidence. An attorney who does not know Article 38.23's no-good-faith-exception exclusionary rule may not seek suppression of a firearm discovered through a traffic stop that lacked reasonable suspicion or a vehicle search that lacked valid consent. Deandra Grant Law delivers what Rockwall County gun defense requires: a physical office at 1101 Ridge Road, Suite 201, Rockwall, TX 75087; 30+ years of Rockwall County courthouse and DA familiarity; current HB 1927 constitutional carry law applied correctly in every post-2021 case; prohibited location factual challenge capability; Lautenberg disability consequence analysis built into every family-violence-adjacent case from the first consultation; constructive possession investigation with Garrett Discovery digital forensics through Douglas Huff; Article 38.23 traffic stop suppression analysis as the first defense examination; federal firearms defense through James Lee Bright in the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas; board certification in criminal law; Texas Super Lawyer since 2011; 17 published law books; 500+ trials to verdict statewide; and a free consultation at (214) 617-0847.

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Rockwall Gun Crime Defense Lawyers

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Rockwall Gun Crime Defense Lawyers

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Rockwall County Criminal Courts Guide By Attorney Deandra Grant

If you’re facing a criminal charge in Rockwall County, understanding how the local courts work can make the process far less confusing. This guide explains where cases are heard, what each court handles, and what you can expect as your case moves through the system.

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Rockwall Office

1101 Ridge Road,
Suite 201
Rockwall, TX 75087

Rockwall Gun Crime Defense Lawyers

Gun crime charges in Rockwall County are prosecuted by the Rockwall County District Attorney’s Office and heard in the courts at the Rockwall County Courthouse, 1111 E. Yellow Jacket Ln, Rockwall, TX 75087. Texas firearms law changed significantly on September 1, 2021, when constitutional carry (HB 1927) took effect. Whether the conduct alleged actually violated current Texas law (and whether the stop, search, or seizure that produced the evidence was lawful) are the first questions in every gun charge defense.

Deandra Grant Law has defended gun crime charges in Rockwall County for more than 30 years, with an office in Rockwall. Managing Partner Deandra Grant and Partner Douglas Huff bring trial experience and forensic expertise to every case. Of Counsel James Lee Bright handles federal firearms charges in the Northern District of Texas.

Texas Firearms Law: Current Framework

Constitutional carry (HB 1927, effective September 1, 2021). Most Texans who are 21 or older and not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm may carry a handgun in Texas (concealed or openly) without a License to Carry (LTC). Any analysis of a gun charge must apply the law in effect at the time of the alleged offense.

License to Carry (LTC). The LTC remains available and provides reciprocity benefits in other states. LTC holders are subject to specific rules regarding prohibited locations and must comply with the duty to inform law enforcement during a stop.

Prohibited locations. Constitutional carry and LTC carry are both subject to location-based restrictions. Firearms may not be carried in certain government buildings, polling places, courts, schools, racetracks, licensed premises, and other designated locations. Whether the defendant was in a prohibited location is a factual issue subject to challenge.

Age restrictions. Constitutional carry applies to persons 21 and older. Persons between 18 and 20 may possess a handgun in certain circumstances but may not carry under HB 1927.

Rockwall Criminal & DWI Defense

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Common Gun Charges in Rockwall County

Unlawful carrying of a weapon (§46.02). Carrying a handgun, illegal knife, or club in a prohibited location or by a person prohibited from possessing firearms. With constitutional carry now in effect, many UCW charges turn on whether the defendant was in a prohibited location or was disqualified from carrying.

Felon in possession. Under both Texas Penal Code §46.04 and federal law (18 U.S.C. §922(g)(1)), a person convicted of a felony is prohibited from possessing a firearm. The federal prohibition applies permanently regardless of whether civil rights have been restored under state law.

Prohibited person in possession — Lautenberg Amendment. Under 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(9), any person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence is permanently prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law including law enforcement officers and military members.

Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (§22.02). Using or exhibiting a firearm during an assault elevates the charge to a second- or first-degree felony. The deadly weapon finding is a factual issue the defense can contest.

Deadly conduct (§22.05). Recklessly discharging a firearm or knowingly discharging it at or in the direction of a person or vehicle. Whether the conduct was reckless rather than accidental is the central defense issue.

Federal firearms charges. Federal law imposes its own prohibitions and penalties, often more severe than state charges. James Lee Bright handles federal firearms charges in the Northern District of Texas.

Defense Strategies

Article 38.23 — suppression. Texas’s exclusionary rule carries no good faith exception. Gun charges frequently arise from traffic stops, pat-downs, and vehicle searches. The lawfulness of the stop, the justification for any search, and the scope of any consent are all subject to challenge.

Constitutional carry applicability. Where the alleged conduct occurred after September 1, 2021, whether HB 1927 permits the conduct charged is examined first.

Prohibited location challenge. Whether the defendant was actually in a prohibited location at the time of the alleged carry offense is a factual issue examined in every UCW case.

Constructive possession. When a firearm is found in a shared space, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant exercised care, custody, and control over the firearm.

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Why Deandra Grant Law for Rockwall Gun Defense

Office in Rockwall. 30+ years in Rockwall County courts. 500+ trials to verdict. The Rockwall County Courthouse and the Rockwall County DA’s office are familiar ground.
Federal defense capability. James Lee Bright handles federal firearms charges in the Northern District of Texas.
Article 38.23 — no good faith exception. Every gun case begins with the lawfulness of the stop, search, or seizure.
Constitutional carry expertise. Post-HB 1927 Texas firearms law applied correctly in every case.
17 published law books. Including A First Offender’s Guide to Texas Criminal Courts
Texas Super Lawyer since 2011. AV® Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell®.

If you are facing gun crime charges in Rockwall County, call (214) 225-7117 for a free, confidential consultation. Or schedule online at texasdwisite.com.

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“Deandra Grant Law – Criminal & DWI Defense handled my case with diligence and professionalism. Deandra Grant’s reputation is stellar and now I know why. She has a team of individuals who provide quality service.”

N. Coulter

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(214) 225-7117
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Rockwall Office

1101 Ridge Road,
Suite 201
Rockwall, TX 75087

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Rockwall Gun Crime Defense Lawyers

With Offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Allen, Denton, Waco & Rockwall

Free Consultation

Do You Need Legal Help?

Rockwall Gun Crime Defense Lawyers

With Offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Allen, Denton, Waco & Rockwall

Do You Need Legal Help?

- P. Williams

- M. Haley

- N. Coulter

As Seen On

Rockwall County Criminal Courts Guide By Attorney Deandra Grant

Rockwall Office

Rockwall Gun Crime Defense Lawyers

Texas Firearms Law: Current Framework

Related Videos

Common Gun Charges in Rockwall County

Defense Strategies

Related Blogs

Why Deandra Grant Law for Rockwall Gun Defense

Client Reviews

N. Coulter

Do You Need Legal Help?

Rockwall Office