Article – Virgin Islands Allows National Guard To Seize Guns, Ammo Ahead Of Hurricane Irma

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Someone was nice enough to email me this link to share:

U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp signed an emergency order allowing the seizure of private guns, ammunition, explosives and property the National Guard may need to respond to Hurricane Irma.

Mapp signed the order Monday in preparation for Hurricane Irma. The order allows the Adjutant General of the Virgin Islands to seize private property they believe necessary to protect the islands, subject to approval by the territory’s Justice Department.

I thought this sort of thing was proven to be an extremely bad PR move after the Katrina episode but some people don’t learn, I guess.

A couple questions worth asking: how do they know where the private guns are so they can seize them? Hmmmm.

 

Further reading:

Second Amendment groups are in arms over orders given by the Caribbean territory’s governor activating the islands’ military forces and granting them emergency powers.

With powerful Category 5 Hurricane Irma tracking for the islands, Gov. Kenneth Mapp (I) called out the 1,000-member Virgin Islands National Guard and, as first reported by the Daily Caller, issued orders to Adjutant General Deborah Howell on Monday that the force is “authorized and directed to seize arms, ammunition, explosives, incendiary material and any other property that may be required by the military forces for the performance of this emergency mission.”

13 thoughts on “Article – Virgin Islands Allows National Guard To Seize Guns, Ammo Ahead Of Hurricane Irma”

  2. In the Virgin Islands, ALL firearms are registered. So they know who the legal firearms owners are. Criminals, not so much. However, after hurricane Katrina, federal legislation was passed to prevent this from happening again. I’ll have to look it up. As for me, I would advise them not to step on my property. We are fine, and do not want or need your help.

  3. I guess this just makes it legal what they did back when George H. Bush had to send in U.S. Marshals and Airborne troops to restore order. At the time the police and National Guard were involved in the looting also.

  4. I was there at the time, part of a medical disaster team. We were at the main hospital on St. Thomas (that had had the roof blown off and was running on generators. We worked out of GP medium tents.) We did have a lot of US Marshals around. The Airborne troops were part of a CASH (Corps Airborne Surgical Hospital). The Virgin Islands National Guard was there, but all I saw them doing was directing traffic. Place was a mess, and we were deployed a couple of weeks after Hurricane Mary (I think) hit the place. St. Thomas at least had all of its emergency supplies destroyed; C-17s were flying in water by the planeload (and damn, those things are loud!).

  5. This law indicates to me that VI would be breaking the law if it were to try and confiscate guns.
    Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)
    `SEC. 706. FIREARMS POLICIES.
    `(a) PROHIBITION ON CONFISCATION OF FIREARMS- No officer or employee of the United States (including any member of the uniformed services), or person operating pursuant to or under color of Federal law, or receiving Federal funds, or under control of any Federal official, or providing services to such an officer, employee, or other person, while acting in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency, may–
    `(1) temporarily or permanently seize, or authorize seizure of, any firearm the possession of which is not prohibited under Federal, State, or local law, other than for forfeiture in compliance with Federal law or as evidence in a criminal investigation;
    `(2) require registration of any firearm for which registration is not required by Federal, State, or local law;
    `(3) prohibit possession of any firearm, or promulgate any rule, regulation, or order prohibiting possession of any firearm, in any place or by any person where such possession is not otherwise prohibited by Federal, State, or local law; or
    `(4) prohibit the carrying of firearms by any person otherwise authorized to carry firearms under Federal, State, or local law, solely because such person is operating under the direction, control, or supervision of a Federal agency in support of relief from the major disaster or emergency.

  6. Why would the national guard need guns and ammo for rescue missions???

    And on top of that should they not already have there own gear?

    • Exactly. Taking guns is one thing. But it’s damn insulting to do it under the guise of enabling DoD assets to do their mission.

    • According to your link, the U.S. Constitution is in full force in the Virgin Islands. They’re not exempt nor can they pick and choose. As far as writing a constitution, it would be no difference than when a state writes or amends their state constitution. Your entire statement is disproven by the very link you provided as evidence in support of your statement.

      • Virgin Islands as a territory are in legal limbo with constitutional rights. Citizens there have these rights on a “case-by-case basis”. Not saying it’s right, but that’s how the courts have ruled. Supreme Court has sometimes ruled they don’t get specific protections. No specific rulings on 2nd amendment that I found in brief Google search.

        • jh’s link citing US code states:
          The following provisions of and amendments to the Constitution of the United States are hereby extended to the Virgin Islands to the extent that they have not been previously extended to that territory and shall have the same force and effect there as in the United States or in any State of the United States: article I, section 9, clauses 2 and 3; article IV, section 1 and section 2, clause 1; article VI, clause 3; the first to ninth amendments inclusive; the thirteenth amendment; the second sentence of section 1 of the fourteenth amendment; and the fifteenth and nineteenth amendments

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