{"id":1063,"date":"2026-04-20T11:27:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T09:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/what-is-the-penalty-for-illegal-possession-of-weapons\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T16:53:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:53:50","slug":"what-is-the-penalty-for-illegal-possession-of-weapons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/what-is-the-penalty-for-illegal-possession-of-weapons\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the penalty for illegal possession of weapons?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>illegal possession of weapons<\/strong> is a crime regulated in the Spanish Penal Code and can be punished with prison sentences ranging from <strong>6 months to 3 years<\/strong> , depending on the type of weapon and whether it is a prohibited weapon, a modified weapon or a regulated weapon without a license.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not a simple administrative sanction: it is a serious crime that can leave a criminal record and affect the personal and professional life of the accused.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is considered illegal possession of weapons?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The crime is configured in three main scenarios:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prohibited or unauthorized modified weapons.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regulation weapons without a valid license or permit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Firearms with substantially altered characteristics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In all these cases, we are talking about a criminal offense with a risk of conviction and a criminal record.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does Article 563 of the Penal Code say?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Article 563 punishes with imprisonment of 1 to 3 years the possession of:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prohibited weapons.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Standard weapons substantially modified with respect to their manufacturing characteristics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This precept seeks to guarantee public safety, penalizing even the mere possession of the weapon, even if it is not used.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Penalties according to the type of weapon<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Short arms (pistols, revolvers): 1 to 2 years in prison.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Long guns (shotguns, rifles): imprisonment from 6 months to 1 year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prohibited or modified weapons: imprisonment of 1 to 3 years, in accordance with article 563.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Difference between legal and illegal possession of weapons<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Legal possession:<\/strong> owning regulated firearms with the corresponding licenses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Illegal possession:<\/strong> possessing prohibited or modified weapons, or lacking a license for regulated weapons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The difference is clear: illegal possession implies criminal liability and a criminal record, while legal possession is protected by current regulations.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What should I do if I am accused of illegal possession of weapons?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you receive an accusation for this crime, the best course of action is:<\/p>\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do not make statements without legal advice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Get in touch immediately with a specialized criminal lawyer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gather all documentation and evidence that proves the legality of possession or your lack of responsibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Analyze possible procedural errors in the investigation or seizure of the weapons.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Illegal possession of weapons is not a simple administrative error, but a serious crime that can lead to imprisonment and a criminal record. Depending on the weapon, the penalties range from 6 months to 3 years.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At <strong>Nieto Enr\u00edquez Criminal Lawyers<\/strong> , a <a href=\"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/\">criminal law firm in Barcelona<\/a> , \u200b\u200bwe offer you a solid, expert and personalized defense in cases of illegal possession of weapons, guaranteeing comprehensive and humane advice in any criminal proceedings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The illegal possession of weapons is a crime regulated in the Spanish Penal Code and can be punished with prison sentences ranging from 6 months to 3 years , depending on the type of weapon and whether it is a prohibited weapon, a modified weapon or a regulated weapon without a license. This is not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1070,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crimes"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1063"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1072,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063\/revisions\/1072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}