The Gun Owners Association of America (GOA) has initiated a lawsuit against the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) over regulations that restrict possession and concealed carry of firearms for individuals who lack a “residence or place of business” in the territory.
Joining GOA in this legal action are the Gun Owners Foundation and Sean Dale Henry.
The lawsuit disputes the USVI’s outright denial of U.S. citizens’ constitutional right to “keep and bear arms” unless they have established residency or a business in the USVI, as outlined in the legal complaint.
According to the complaint, GOA noted that:
Firstly, the USVI generally prohibits nonresidents from carrying weapons, even if it is lawful in other jurisdictions. They previously had a law granting limited concealed carry rights to visitors with firearms licenses from other states, but this was repealed in 2022. Now, the USVI does not recognize any out-of-state firearms licenses and bars “open carry” for non-residents, effectively preventing them from carrying weapons publicly.
Additionally, the complaint states:
USVI regulations do not allow non-residents to apply for a carry permit in the territory. The law specifies five categories of individuals who may possess a firearm, including government and specific corporate employees, individuals with a lawful residence or business in the Virgin Islands, and holders of valid Virgin Islands hunting licenses for long guns.
The GOA argues that while nonresidents can technically get a hunting license in the USVI, it only applies to rifles and shotguns and does not permit public carrying of handguns, which are often preferred for self-defense by Americans. They assert that this total ban is inconsistent with rights established in Heller.
