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US government sues US Virgin Islands and accuses officials of violating the Second Amendment
apnews.com ^ | December 17, 2025 | DÁNICA COTO

Posted on 12/18/2025 11:22:55 AM PST by lowbridge

The U.S. government sued the U.S. territory, its police department and Police Commissioner Mario Brooks on Tuesday, accusing them of obstructing and systematically denying American citizens the right to possess and carry guns.

The U.S. Virgin Islands requires that applicants demonstrate “good reason to fear death or great injury to his person or property,” and to have “two credible persons” to vouch for their need of a firearm. Local law also requires that someone have “good moral character” to obtain a gun permit, which is valid for up to three years and applies to a single weapon.

The lawsuit states that no specific standard has been set or defined for the requirement of character. It also claims that the defendants “regularly” refuse to issue permits to those who by law are “deemed to be an improper person” by the territory’s police commissioner.

The lawsuit states that those in the U.S. territory also must “submit to intrusive and warrantless home searches” as one condition to obtain a gun permit. If an applicant refuses a home inspection, which takes “several months to a year to schedule and complete,” the government will not process their request, according to the lawsuit.

It also notes that the police department “denies firearms licenses to otherwise qualified applicants whenever it deems that the applicant has ‘too many’ firearms.”

In addition, the lawsuit accuses the U.S. Virgin Islands of demanding that applicants “unnecessarily spend money to install a safe,” and that it be bolted to the floor or wall of their home.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of defying “binding Supreme Court precedent to frustrate the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding American citizens.”

It notes that those citizens “have a fundamental right to possess guns in their homes” and carry handguns publicly for the purpose of immediate self-defense.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: banglist; secondamendment; virginislands

1 posted on 12/18/2025 11:22:55 AM PST by lowbridge
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To: lowbridge

YES! No more treating the Second Amendment as a second-class right.

I voted for this.


2 posted on 12/18/2025 11:26:24 AM PST by SharpenedEdge (Stockpile. Prepare. Arm. Train. A Storm is coming.)
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To: lowbridge; marktwain
US government sues US Virgin Islands and accuses officials of violating the Second Amendment

Excellent!

FYI ping to marktwain

3 posted on 12/18/2025 11:35:29 AM PST by Navy Patriot (President Trump Decisively Won, Celebrate Recivilization!)
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To: lowbridge

Now do Washington, Oregon, California,,,,,,,


4 posted on 12/18/2025 11:43:51 AM PST by Cold Heart
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To: lowbridge

Suing the US Virgin Islands?

How about suing the State of New York? The State of Massachusetts? The State of California?


5 posted on 12/18/2025 11:46:13 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: Cold Heart

Seriously ...

Maybe they view this as “low hanging fruit” and an easy win?


6 posted on 12/18/2025 11:46:54 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: NorthMountain

Just because they announced one doesn’t mean they aren’t investigating others.


7 posted on 12/18/2025 12:08:22 PM PST by TangoLimaSierra (⭐⭐To the Left, the Truth is Right Wing Violence⭐⭐)
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To: TangoLimaSierra

So you think this might just be a case of going after the easy win first?

D’oh! Why didn’t I think of that?


8 posted on 12/18/2025 12:15:11 PM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: lowbridge

Would not the election of any gun-grabber be reason to fear for one’s loved ones lives and property?


9 posted on 12/18/2025 1:17:08 PM PST by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again," )
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To: fella

...”...Local law also requires that someone have “good moral character” to obtain a gun permit, which is valid for up to three years and applies to a single weapon.”

...applies to a single weapon.....Geeesshhhh...! most of us Texans would end up with a trunkful of permits...assuming, of course, they would even be granted.....what a crock...!!

...”....the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”


10 posted on 12/18/2025 3:07:47 PM PST by TokarevM57 ( )
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To: lowbridge

“the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed....”

hoping PDJT can clean the entire stinking pile of “gun control” manure up soon!


11 posted on 12/18/2025 3:15:48 PM PST by faithhopecharity ("Politicians aren't born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
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To: lowbridge

Not much different than New Jersey has been for most of my life. Prove a need to obtain a permit, but the proof was seldom sufficient.


12 posted on 12/18/2025 4:01:34 PM PST by JimRed (TERM LIMITS, NOW! Finish the damned WALL! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH! )
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To: Cold Heart

Hawaii


13 posted on 12/18/2025 4:33:46 PM PST by Bikkuri
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To: NorthMountain

Ive been to the USVI on a few trips. They have billboards stating that gun possession is unlawful. My first thought was “how can this be true in a territory of the United States?” Clearly the answer is that the law has never been tested. I guess it is now?


14 posted on 12/18/2025 7:38:51 PM PST by Tallguy
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To: lowbridge

I lived on St. Thomas and St. Croix for slightly over a year. Having a gun was really not a wise move because the cops SOLD your personal info including your address to their criminal buddies who would then come see you in the middle of the night to get the gun. I left the Caribbean permanently. During my stay an artist was slaughtered on St. Croix and a shoot out with machine guns blasting away took place at a restaurant between cops and robbers. At least 2 killed. Then, on St. Maarten, a S. Carolina couple were slaughtered by their own Secuirty Guards. The US Virgins are a terrible place and the total story will never be known because the local press covers it up as it is bad for the tourist business.


15 posted on 12/19/2025 6:54:36 AM PST by Cen-Tejas
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