Joseph Defends Firearms Bill as Lawsuit Response, Says More Amendments May Follow

Senator Clifford Joseph defended his controversial firearms bill during Monday night’s V.I. Consortium Election Cycle interview, saying the measure was designed in large part to address a licensing issue that had exposed the Government of the Virgin Islands to litigation, while also correcting what he described as inconsistencies in the territory’s gun laws. The bill, now before Governor Albert Bryan Jr., has drawn sustained criticism from licensed gun owners and Second Amendment advocates, who have questioned whether the measure does more to burden lawful firearm holders than to address the illegal weapons driving much of the territory’s gun violence. Asked in one sentence what problem the bill was designed to solve, Joseph said it was intended to address problems with the timely processing of firearms licenses that had led to a lawsuit against the government. He later said the bill also deals with penalties for unlicensed firearms and clarifies restricted areas where weapons may n...