{"id":4474,"date":"2025-10-02T07:10:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T07:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/?p=4474"},"modified":"2025-10-02T07:10:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T07:10:49","slug":"how-much-is-the-penalty-for-unlawful-possession-of-weapons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/crimes\/how-much-is-the-penalty-for-unlawful-possession-of-weapons\/","title":{"rendered":"How much is the penalty for unlawful possession of weapons?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <strong>unlawful possession of weapon<\/strong>s is a crime regulated in the Spanish Penal Code and can be punished with prison sentences ranging <strong>from 6 months to 3 years<\/strong>, depending on the type of weapon and whether it involves prohibited, modified, or regulated weapons without a license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is not a simple administrative sanction: it is a serious crime that can result in a criminal record and affect the personal and professional life of the accused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is considered unlawful possession of weapons?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The crime is defined under three main circumstances:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Prohibited or modified weapons without authorization.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regulated weapons without valid licenses or permits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Firearms with substantially altered characteristics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In all these cases, it is a criminal offense with the risk of conviction and a criminal record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does Article 563 of the Penal Code say?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Article 563 punishes with imprisonment from 1 to 3 years the possession of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Prohibited weapons.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regulated weapons substantially modified from their original manufacturing characteristics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This provision seeks to guarantee public safety, penalizing even simple possession, even if the weapon is never used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Penalties depending on the type of weapon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Short firearms (pistols, revolvers): imprisonment from 1 to 2 years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Long firearms (shotguns, rifles): imprisonment from 6 months to 1 year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prohibited or modified weapons: imprisonment from 1 to 3 years, according to Article 563.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Difference between lawful and unlawful possession of weapons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lawful possession<\/strong>: having regulated firearms with the corresponding licenses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unlawful possession<\/strong>: having prohibited or modified weapons, or lacking a license for regulated weapons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference is clear: unlawful possession implies criminal liability and a record, while lawful possession is protected by current regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to do if I am accused of unlawful possession of weapons?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you receive an accusation for this crime, the most advisable steps are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Do not make a statement without legal advice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Contact a specialized criminal defense lawyer immediately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gather all documentation and evidence proving the legality of your 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<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlawful possession of weapons is not a simple administrative mistake but a serious crime that can lead to imprisonment and a criminal record. Depending on the weapon, sentences range from 6 months to 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At <strong>Nieto Enr\u00edquez Criminal Lawyers<\/strong>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/\">criminal law firm in Barcelona<\/a>, we offer solid, expert, and personalized defense in cases of unlawful possession of weapons, guaranteeing comprehensive and humane advice in any criminal proceeding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The unlawful 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 involves prohibited, modified, or regulated weapons without a license. It is not a simple administrative sanction: it is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_joinchat":[]},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4474"}],"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=4474"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4475,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4474\/revisions\/4475"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nietoabogadospenalistas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}