Premier alarmed over assault rifles

The Virgin Islands is being “terrorised” by youths with semi-automatic weapons, Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said last week as he pledged a crackdown on the gun crime that has been escalating in recent months.

During a Friday press conference, Mr. Wheatley called for tougher laws on the possession of firearms as young people in the territory are brandishing high-powered weapons including AR-15 assault rifles.

The premier said he has discussed the urgency of the situation with Governor Daniel Pruce, who is responsible for law and order, at weekly National Security Council meetings.

“Every week we meet in the National Security Council and we discuss ways in which we can strengthen our security,” Mr. Wheatley said. “We have to strengthen our gun laws. That’s something that I am particularly going to champion: strengthening our gun laws for possession, especially some of the heavy weaponry that very young persons have access to now. We are seeing young persons with AR-15s. That’s completely unacceptable for us.”

The premier did not reveal the governor’s view on the issue, and gun crime did not feature prominently in the government legislative agenda laid out in the January Speech from the Throne.

The premier, however, claimed Friday that the issue is society-wide and new legislation must also be accompanied by other measures.

“We must redouble our collective efforts to steer our young people away from crime and violence, especially our young men,” he said, adding, “For those individuals who insist on terrorising our community, the police will continue to pursue you vigorously.”

The premier said a number of bills have been passed recently to help address the issue.

“We have already amended the Police Act, we have amended the Counter-Terrorism Act, we amended the Customs Management and Duties Act,” he said. “There have been a number of legislative steps we have already taken. But I want to see us strengthening our laws on gun possession.”

Mr. Wheatley added that an upcoming “crime summit” will help leaders assess how to handle the problem.

“All of us have to come together to stop this scourge within our community. We have to look at our education system. We have to look at our social system, our families, our churches. We have to look at our communities,” he said. “We have to look at our customs and our border protection, our immigration processes.”

The premier said the crime summit will help map a path to addressing criminal intentions among some young people.

“It’s going to be a comprehensive review, and that’s why we are having a crime summit: so we can bring all stakeholders together to have this important discussion and chart a way forward as it pertains to a … kind of new wave of young criminal mentality in the Virgin Islands,” Mr. Wheatley said.

The premier acknowledged police matters are in the governor’s domain, but he said he expects to bring new legislation to the House of Assembly soon.

“I have discussed it with the governor, the National Security Council, and I expect that very soon we will have a bill coming forward,” he said.

The premier also addressed the families of gun-crime victims.

“As a community, we grieve with you and pray God will give you strength to get through this difficult time,” he said.

Police have seized eight firearms so far this year, and acting Police Commissioner Jacqueline Vanterpool said they are treating gun crime as a matter of urgency.

The governor did not respond to a request for comment.