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Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation are suing the government of theĀ U.S. Virgin IslandsĀ and its police commissioner as a fight over the Second Amendment deepens.
The nonprofits are asking a federal judge to allow nonresidents to apply for and be issued licenses to carry concealed handguns in the U.S. territory.
The lawsuit filed this week asserted that Florida resident Sean Dale Henry, a member of Gun Owners of America and supporter of Gun Owners Foundation, called the U.S. Virgin Islandsā police department multiple times to apply for such a license.
āHenry has been unable to get the USVI police to so much as pick up the telephone,ā the lawsuit states. āThe fact that the USVI police do not answer their phone makes (Henryās) need to keep and bear arms for his own self-defense all the more vital.ā
A spokesperson for the U.S. territoryās government did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The lawsuit filed Monday notes that Henry plans to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands at least twice in upcoming months and seeks to bring a concealed gunĀ for self-defense purposes.
āThe Second Amendment doesnāt end at the shoreline,ā Luis Valdes, the U.S. Virgin Islandsā outreach director for Gun Owners of America, said in a statement. āAmericans donāt lose their constitutional rights simply because they travel to a U.S. territory.ā
It is the second time the U.S. Virgin Islandsā government and its police commissioner are sued over the Second Amendment.
In December, the U.S. Justice DepartmentĀ sued the U.S. territory, accusing it of obstructing and systematically denying American citizens the right to possess and carry guns. It cited local laws including that applicants must demonstrate āgood reason to fear death or great injury to his person or property,ā and have ātwo credible personsā vouch for their need of a firearm.
At the time, the U.S. Virgin Islandsā government said it was ācommitted to protecting constitutional rights while maintaining public safety.ā
In a February court filing, the U.S. Virgin Islands accused the U.S. government of coming to court āwith unclean handsā and of employing hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers it accused of depriving people of their ārights, privileges and immunities secured and protected by the 1st, 2nd, 4th , 5th and 14th amendments.ā
āThe United States of America cannot come to the court with unclean hands and seek to enjoin others while engaging in such blatant, violative, and abusive patterns and practices itself,ā the filing read.
That case is still making its way through court.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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