Bills Seeking to Ban Assault Rifles and Restrict Gun Component Importation Held In Committee Over Constitutional Concerns

Concerns that two bills sponsored by Senator Dwayne DeGraff could infringe on the constitutional rights of Virgin Islanders if they were enacted into law prompted him to hold the measures in committee on Tuesday.

The bills in question were touted as public safety measures that would reduce the number of illegal and unlicensed firearms circulating in the local community.

Bill 35-0243 is a measure that would require someone who intends to buy firearm components that would have to be mailed or shipped to the Virgin Islands to first get permission from the VIPD commissioner. Bill 35-0250 would add a section to Title 23 of the Virgin Islands Code banning assault rifles territory-wide.

“I'm trying to save lives,” said Senator DeGraff, who asserted that modified and assault rifles are “being used to kill people.” His good intentions, though, were described as trampling on the rights afforded to Virgin Islanders through the Second Amendment — the right to bear arms.

Gregory Magras was a concerned citizen invited to comment, who told lawmakers that he remained “very concerned about the cavalier way in which we handle the constitutional rights of the people of the Virgin Islands.” Arguing against Bill 35-0243, he contended that it would give the police commissioner the power to “deny me the right to own a functional firearm,” by theoretically withholding permission for Mr. Magras to import a necessary component to repair a firearm. READ MORE: