Felons are stripped of their right to vote. Texas state law does not allow a convicted felon to regain voting rights until they have completed their sentence, parole, or probation. Upon completion, Texas automatically restores the right to vote, but you will have to register to vote again and you may be asked to provide evidence that your sentence has been completed.
In Texas, felons also lose their right to bear arms. Once convicted of a felony, you cannot legally carry a firearm. The tricky part comes in the way that Texas law permits a felon to possess a firearm if he or she has gone five years without a felony conviction, but federal law makes it illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm unless the felon has been pardoned. While there is this tension between state and federal law, federal law is given priority which means that it is almost impossible for a convicted felon to legally purchase a firearm.
If you are convicted of a felony, you also lose the right to serve on a jury panel. This right may be restored if you receive a pardon. The same is also true of losing your right to hold public office after a felony conviction. Furthermore, a felony conviction will disqualify you from holding certain professions. The conviction will stay on your record for life and will come up anytime someone performs a background check.
- Can Convicted Felons Have Guns in Texas? A Guide to Firearms Laws.
Under Texas law, a person who’s been convicted of a felony can be charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Prosecutors must prove the following elements to convict a defendant of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon:
- The defendant’s release from prison or community supervision, mandatory supervision, or parole, or
- The defendant possessed a firearm after being convicted of a felony but before the fifth anniversary of the defendant’s release from confinement following the conviction of a felony, or
- After the same period at any location other than the premises at which the defendant lives
For a full list: Restrictions After a Felony Conviction.
