imported post
AkuZokuZan wrote:
Puerto Rico, although a US possesion, has limited *very* autonomy and has very tough gun laws, chasing NY at full speed as a gun lovers hating state. Again, the false premise of "more gun control = less violent crime" is the thing to do. Down here are three basic firearm permits:
Ownership: you get your firearm in your house with a lonesome box of bullets. can't go to any range, can't do anything, just having it stored in your house............also you can only own one handgun and a box of bullets
Shooting Range: this is actually an add on to the ownership. you can buy all the weapons you might want (that is in reasonable quantity), and all the ammunition you might need, BUT, you can only carry the weapons unloaded, the magazines empty from your house to the shooting range, viceversa, or from one house to another.
Concealed Carry: that is the only carry permit available, you can have it loaded but cannot be visible; aside from the usual not to be carried on state or federal buildings, schools, ad nauseam, etc...Still not all carry permits are equal; when it is work related, such as certain security jobs, you have the permit for work hours and a maximum two hours after you finished your work day (night)
Now comes the bummer..........Ownership is aproximately $400 (fees, lawyer, stamps)
Shooting Range Permit add $50 more, and the concealed carry is $1000. These licenses have a duration of 5 years, after that time you have six months to renew the license or you get your guns confiscated, and after that point there is no guarantee you'll have them back....:X:X:X:X:X:X:X
Saludos,
I'll commenton some of thestatements you made (bold is my emphasis).
There is actually a "shall issue" firearms license that can be endorsed with thetwo permits you mentioned ("Shooting Range" [wich is actually a targetshooting permit][
25 LPRA Sec 457c]and"Concealed Carry"[wich is only referred to by law as a carry permit {the law specifies that the hangun most not be visible to the public and yada, yada, yada or you'll receive, first a warning, then a fine, then a revocation of your carry permit; however, it is still a carry permit][
25 LPRA Sec 456d]).There are also: a) a sports hunting license/permit[
12 LPRA Sec 107k], b) a temporary sport hunting license/permit tonon-residents whoposses an equivalent from another jurisdiction[
12 LPRA Sec 107n] and c) anon-residenttemporary target shootingpermit [
25 LPRA Sec 457d]. All three permits/licenses can be aplied to separatedly from the firearms license.
With regards to ownership, you are allowed to own two firearmsperlicensee (not withstanding thoseinherited), not two per household.[
25 LPRA Sec 456a(d)] Also, you are allowed to have 50 rounds of the caliber utilized by the firearm owned per calendar year when you do not posses a target shooting permit. [
25 LPRA Sec 459a] There are legal ways around expending that ammunition;however, it is kind ofsense less if you do not posses a target shooting permit (the permit is only $25for 5 years, then $10 every 5 thereafter [
25 LPRA Sec 457c]. I will grant that you have to keepcurrent membership on a target shooting club ($50+ per year) and get a sports federation stamp ($25-50 every 5 years). It is still cheaper to get the permit than to do the firearms safety course every year at ~$90.
I have never founda "reasonable quantity" restriction or an "unloaded magazine" requirement on any firearms statute. Let me know where you heard of that requirement - although I venture to say it was in a certain gun store in the Metro area (a lot of gun owners are not happy with them as they tend to stiff everyone and make up laws every day - hell they even tried to charge me $450+ for an FFL to FFL transfer fee [nuts]).
As far as firearms in federal buildings, lands, etc, Puerto Rico has no jurisdiction over that whatsoever. There is a State law that was passed a few months ago [
State Law # 46] - sorry is a slip law, and contrary to what is required, it has not been published in english as of yet] that makes it a crime to carry in certain State buildings; however,there are no prohibitions by the State (there is the Federal prohibition by
18 USC Sec 922(q)(2)(a) et seq) as far as firearms carry in or around of schools.
There is only one firearms carry permit that I know of [
25 LPRA Sec 456d], other than the long barreled firearms permit issued to private security agencies persuant
25 LPRA Sec 457l &
m. The one under Sec 456d is your personal permit, the one on Sec 457l & m is through a securtiy agency and conditional to your employment. Under neither are you allowed to carry a firearm openly after working hours.
A firearms license (what you call "ownership") is a "shall issue" license in Puerto Rico [
25 LPRA Sec 456a(a)]. You do not need an attorney to request a license or any permit, as long as you request them yourself. You need to pay a $100 fee and provide2 sworn statements (~$25 e/a). If you add gas, photos and the like, it doesn't go over $200 every 5 years (so like less than $40 per year if you amortize iton your finances - save up during the year so you don't end up shelling the $200 at one time). For carry permits your renewal is $100 every 5 years.
I see where it could get expensive when getting your carry permit, as most people get scared of going to open court to request it. The permit will run you around $500 for the attorney + the $250 fee and whatever court costs run (usually $50). I wentto courtmyself (pro se) and got it approved after submitting an aditional sworn statement (the exact same one I submitted to the State Police) - no legal basis, but I figured it was cheaper to cave in to the statement than to appeal). Total out of pocket for the carry permit was ~$350.
Edit on Jun 14, 2010 ---
Links posted above may not work anymore. You can find the above mentioned laws here:
http://www.gobierno.pr/Estado/inicio/Leyes.htm
