2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FIVE - Internal Security (§§ 1 — 3356) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 1973) › PART V - Regulation of Firearms, Explosives, and Other Dangerous Devices (§§ 411-454 — 593) › Chapter 51A - Puerto Rico Arms Act of 2000 (§§ 455 — 460k) › Subchapter V - Weapons (§§ 458 — 458t) › § 458j - Presumptions

The possession of a firearm by a person who does not have a weapons license shall be deemed as prima facie evidence of the fact that said person possesses the weapon with the intention of committing a crime.
The act of carrying a firearm by a person who does not have a weapons license with permit to carry, shall be deemed as prima facie evidence of the fact that said person carried the weapon with the intention of committing a crime.
The possession by any person of a weapon whose serial number or the name of the owner, has been removed, mutilated, permanently covered, altered or erased, shall be deemed as prima facie evidence of the fact that said person removed, mutilated, covered, altered or erased said serial number or the name of the owner.
The possession by any person of a weapon whose serial number or the name of the owner, has been removed, mutilated, permanently covered, altered or erased, shall be deemed as prima facie evidence of the fact that said person possesses the weapon with the intention of committing a crime.
The possession by any person of a weapon at the time he/she commits, or attempts to commit a crime, shall be deemed prima facie evidence of the fact that said weapon was loaded at the time the crime was committed or intended to be committed.
The presence of three (3) or more firearms in a room, house, residence, establishment, office, structure or vehicle, shall constitute prima facie evidence of the fact that the owner or possessor of said room, house, residence, establishment, office, structure or vehicle, or those persons who occupy the room, house, residence, establishment, office or structure, traffic in or facilitate firearms illegally, provided said persons do not have a weapons license, a gunsmith license or a target shooting or hunting club license.
The presence of a machine gun or any other automatic weapon or any armor-piercing ammunition in any room, house, residence, establishment, office, structure or vehicle, shall constitute prima facie evidence of its illegal possession by its owner or possessor of said building or vehicle, and by those persons who occupy the room, house, building, or structure in which said machine gun, automatic weapon or sawed-off shotgun is found, and who have the mediate or immediate possession thereof. This presumption shall not be applicable in those cases in which a public service vehicle is involved which at that time had been transporting paying passengers or when it is shown that incidental or emergency transportation is involved.
The presence of a machine gun or any other automatic weapon or any armor-piercing ammunition in any room, house, residence, establishment, office, structure or vehicle, shall constitute prima facie evidence of the fact that the owner or possessor of said building or vehicle possesses the weapon or the ammunition with the intention of committing a crime.
The presence of a firearm or ammunition in any stolen vehicle shall constitute prima facie evidence of its illegal possession by all persons traveling in said vehicle at the time said weapon or ammunition is found.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to law enforcement officers in the compliance of their official duties.
History —Sept. 11, 2000, No. 404, § 4.11, renumbered as § 5.11 and amended on Jan. 10, 2002, No. 27, §§ 18 and 23.