To:
The Honorable Members of the Rules and Judiciary Committee
Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Virgin Islands

From:
Virgin Islands Safe Gun Owners Organization

 
We, the undersigned residents and stakeholders of the U.S. Virgin Islands, respectfully urge you to:
Reject Bill 36-0144, or
Delay any upcoming vote, until all affected parties have had fair, properly noticed, and meaningful opportunity to testify before the Rules and Judiciary Committee.
 
Why This Matters

1. Extreme Rates of Gun Violence Despite Stringent Law
Despite strict firearm regulation, the U.S. Virgin Islands endures one of the highest homicide rates in the U.S.—and globally. In 2020 alone, the firearm homicide rate stood at 50 per 100,000, roughly 8.5 times the 50-state U.S. average. Historically, the USVI has held the highest homicide rate per capita in the U.S. and the fifth-highest globally. This demonstrates that harsh restrictions on lawful gun owners have failed to reduce criminal gun violence.

 
2. Cumbersome, Costly, and Subjective Licensing Process
Current Costs:

Initial license fee: $75
Renewal fee: $150 per firearm, every 3 years
Notarization: $20 for a new application; $5 for each renewal
Additional Requirements:

Mandatory safety course (~$350)
Passport photos (~$20)
Three notarized character references
Purchase and installation of a gun safe, inspected by VIPD
For carry licenses: a valid business license and at least three bank deposit slips proving a business need
Processing is slow and burdensome, typically 3–6 months and sometimes up to a year. Denials are often verbal only, not written, leaving little chance for appeal.

 
3. Projected Burden Under Bill 36-0144
If Bill 36-0144 passes, rifle and shotgun owners would face a new recertification process that is both financially and professionally burdensome. The requirements are expected to include:

$150 renewal fee per firearm every three years
A mandatory safety course every renewal period, estimated at ~$400
Notarization fee ($5 per renewal)
Passport photos (~$20)
Police record fee ($12)
Additional paperwork and multiple in-person visits to the Firearms Department, which only operates weekdays from 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
For example, a resident with three registered firearms would face:

$450 in firearm renewal fees (3 × $150)
~$400 for the safety course
~$37 for photos, notarization, and police record
Additional application processing time
That totals approximately $887 every three years, not including lost work time.

This approach—charging exorbitant fees and requiring both an initial basic certification course and ongoing recertification courses just to maintain lawful ownership—is a novel and grossly unconstitutional idea. No historical tradition in the United States conditioned the continued ownership of firearms on repetitive training and recurring financial hurdles. Under the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, such novel restrictions fail the required historical test.

Further, this scheme has the effect of age discrimination. Older residents, retirees, and others on fixed incomes would be disproportionately unable to afford repeated courses and fees. The burden effectively forces them to surrender lawfully acquired firearms rather than maintain compliance. In practice, this becomes a de facto confiscation policy disguised as administrative regulation.

 
4. Unfettered Discretion and Constitutional Concerns
The VIPD Commissioner retains sweeping discretion to approve or deny firearm applications.
Denials of common calibers like .308, .223/5.56, 300 Blackout, 5.7×28, and .45 ACP occur despite no statutory ban.
Arbitrary caps are imposed (e.g., denials after three firearms) while others are allowed far more.
This unequal treatment undermines Equal Protection and violates the framework established in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen, which requires firearms regulations to be consistent with historical tradition, not arbitrary discretion.
 
5. Confiscations Without Legal Basis
Although USVI law does not ban magazines over 10 rounds or specific firearms by name, VIPD has:

Confiscated standard-capacity magazines (>10 rounds)
Refused to register certain firearms arbitrarily
During the Homeland Security Committee meeting on Bill 36-0144, several senators and the Assistant Commissioner themselves admitted that passing this legislation would likely have no measurable impact on crime, as licensed firearms are rarely, if ever, used in criminal activity. This underscores that the proposed law targets law-abiding citizens rather than criminals.

 
6. Opposition to Magazine Restrictions
We strongly oppose proposals to reduce magazine capacity limits. Such restrictions ignore current crime patterns in the Virgin Islands, where:

Criminals are increasingly using illegally converted fully automatic firearms,
Criminals are increasingly turning to long arms,
Criminals frequently target businesses and individuals with multiple armed assailants.
In these circumstances, limiting law-abiding citizens to reduced-capacity magazines unfairly undermines their ability to defend themselves, their families, and their businesses against escalating threats. It is only fair that lawful citizens be given the same chance to protect themselves as criminals give themselves.

 
What We Demand
Before moving forward with Bill 36-0144, we demand:

A postponement of any vote;
Proper public notice of hearings;
Full and fair opportunity for all stakeholders—law-abiding gun owners, FFL holders, civil rights advocates, and public safety experts—to testify before the Rules and Judiciary Committee.
 
Concluding Call to Action
Bill 36-0144, as drafted and advanced without adequate public dialogue, would:

Deepen inequities by disproportionately burdening low-income residents,
Impose novel and unconstitutional recertification requirements,
Function as age-based discrimination and de facto confiscation,
Restrict lawful citizens’ ability to defend themselves while acknowledged by lawmakers themselves to have no meaningful impact on crime,
Further undermine confidence in democratic transparency.
We urge you to delay or reject Bill 36-0144 until constitutional principles and the voices of Virgin Islanders are respected.

 
👉 Sign this petition to demand fairness, transparency, and respect for constitutional rights in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Reasons to Sign 
🔴 It won’t stop crime: Even senators and the Assistant Police Commissioner admitted licensed firearms are not a source of crime. This bill punishes the wrong people.
💸 It’s financially crippling: Renewal fees and recertification costs add up to nearly $900 for just three firearms every three years.
⏳ It wastes valuable time: Limited Firearms Department hours, months-long delays, and repeat in-person visits mean lost work and endless red tape.
⚖️ It’s unconstitutional: The Supreme Court’s Bruen ruling makes clear that novel burdens like mandatory recertification have no basis in U.S. history or tradition.
👵 It discriminates against seniors and low-income families: Many will be forced to give up lawfully owned firearms — a hidden form of confiscation.
🛡️ It leaves citizens defenseless: Criminals are using automatic weapons, long arms, and attacking with multiple assailants. Limiting magazines makes self-defense nearly impossible.

Add your name today to protect fairness, transparency, and constitutional rights in the Virgin Islands. Together, we can stop Bill 36-0144 from stripping law-abiding citizens of their rights while doing nothing to address violent crime.