Overview
- The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court of the Virgin Islands, names the territorial government, the Virgin Islands Police Department, and Police Commissioner Mario Brooks as defendants.
- Federal prosecutors allege prolonged application delays and unlawful conditions, including mandatory bolted-in gun safes, warrantless home inspections, a requirement to show a special need, and denials for applicants deemed to have too many firearms.
- The suit challenges local rules such as demands for two people to vouch for an applicant and undefined “good moral character” criteria, asserting these practices unlawfully restrict possession and public carry.
- DOJ seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to bar enforcement of the contested requirements, halt intrusive home searches, and ensure timely permitting decisions consistent with Bruen.
- Officials say the case is an early test of the Civil Rights Division’s new Second Amendment Section, which has also acted on permit delays in Los Angeles County, while the governor’s office says it is reviewing the filing and will respond in court.