Bryan proposed bill to revise Virgin Islands firearm laws

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. announced on February 5, 2026, that he had proposed the Second Amendment Rights and Public Safety Act, a bill to revise Virgin Islands firearm laws in response to U.S. Supreme Court guidance and issues raised in a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit.

According to Government House, the measure would update Chapter 5 of Title 23 of the Virgin Islands Code and keep restrictions the Supreme Court has recognized as permissible, including limits in sensitive places and restrictions on possession by prohibited persons.

The proposal would require a Virgin Islands firearms license and a registration certificate for each firearm for most possession, purchase, transfer, transport or carrying of firearms in the territory. It would require the Virgin Islands Police Department to issue a license or provide a written denial within 90 days of a completed application, and to issue a registration certificate or denial within 60 days.

Under the bill, a person with a valid firearms license could carry a registered handgun in public only in a concealed manner. The measure would prohibit open carry and the public carrying of long guns.

The bill also would bar carrying firearms in specified sensitive places, including government buildings and grounds, schools and childcare facilities, hospitals and medical or mental health offices, penal institutions, polling places during voting, stadiums and arenas, public parks and playgrounds, and public beaches.

Government House said the proposal also would reinforce safe-storage requirements, restrict silencers, bump stocks, conversion kits and large-capacity magazines, maintain prohibitions on automatic weapons, ghost guns, explosive devices and short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and set transition rules for existing licenses and some unlicensed or unregistered firearms.

If enacted by the Legislature and signed by the governor, the measure would take effect upon approval.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-proposes-second-amendment-rights-and-public-safety-act/