U.S. Virgin Islands — I thank and commend the Virgin Islands Legislature for passing the “2026 Second Amendment Rights and Public Safety Act,” a comprehensive modernization of the Territory’s firearms laws developed by the Virgin Islands Department of Justice in close collaboration with Governor Bryan’s office, the Virgin Islands Police Department, and members and staff of the V.I. Legislature.
This legislation brings coherence and clarity to the rules governing the possession, licensing, and carrying of firearms in the Territory and brings those laws into conformity with recent United States Supreme Court decisions. Importantly, the legislation also provides critical safeguards for the territory’s residents and visitors by prohibiting the most dangerous weapons, such as explosive devices, automatic weapons, untraceable “ghost guns”; keeping firearms out of sensitive places, including schools, hospitals, government buildings, and large public events; restricting especially dangerous accessories, including large-capacity magazines and devices that convert firearms to fire automatically; and keeping firearms out of the hands of those who should not have them, including convicted violent felons, fugitives from justice, persons subject to domestic-violence protection orders, and those who have been adjudicated as dangerous to themselves or others.
In sum, the new firearms law significantly improves how we regulate the possession and carrying of firearms and brings our laws into conformity with recent U. S. Supreme Court decisions while keeping faith with our obligation to protect the territory’s citizens. It strikes the balance our community deserves: full respect for the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens paired with meaningful regulations that allow our law enforcement officers to do their job and keep us safe.
I also wish to thank DOJ Assistant Attorney General Sean Bailey and my St. Thomas Criminal Chief Timothy Perry for their invaluable assistance in this important undertaking.
Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea
Virgin Islands Department of Justice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 2026
Sandra Goomansingh
Media Relations Director
(340) 774-5666 ext. 10105
Email: sandra.goomansingh@doj.vi.gov