Virgin Islands Government Authorizes Seizure of Private Weapons and Ammo Before Hurricane Irma Hits

The governor of the US Virgin Islands has issued an order calling the Virgin Islands National Guard onto active duty in anticipation of Hurricane Irma hitting the territory.

The whole proclamation is here, but this is the troubling part:

The Adjutant General is authorized and directed to seize arms, ammunition, explosives, incendiary material and any other property that may be required by the military forces for the performance of this emergency mission.

As the Virgin Islands doesn’t really honor the Second Amendment, that is, every firearm must be registered and licensed (or so it seems), if the VI National Guard actually decides to confiscate firearms it will be pretty easy.

The VI National Guard, as best I can tell, consists of one Army Military Police company and an Air Force Civil Engineering squadron. And it doesn’t seem like the kind of outfit you’d want to have roaming around armed when the citizens are disarmed:

Governor Kenneth Mapp dropped bombshell news regarding the Virgin Islands National Guard (V.I.N.G.) during a Government House press conference on Tuesday, revealing that following a yearlong investigation by the National Guard Bureau (N.G.B.) which is still ongoing, rampant sexual assault, harassment, assault, sexual intercourse for employment (quid pro quo) and fraud were found to be commonplace at the Virgin Islands National Guard for years, and that course-resetting changes at the organization were underway.

Without mincing words, the governor — joined at one point by V.I.N.G. Adjutant General Deborah Howell, Deputy Director of the Army National Guard, Major General Timothy McKeithen, and Special Assistant to the Director of the Army National Guard, Brigadier General John C. Boyd — said he was troubled by the findings of the investigators, which was relayed to the governor on July 24.

“I have read the report in its entirety, and I am disturbed by what I read,” Mr. Mapp said. He thanked Adjt-Gen. Howell for taking up the matter, as well as the N.G.B. for its report and swift response. “I accept the findings contained in the report, and I accept the assistance and the federal resources committed to restore the Virgin Islands National Guard to an optimal level of performance,” Mr. Mapp said. He gave Adjt-Gen. Howell his full backing “to do what’s required.”

The governor seemed to have been affected the most by the portion in the report that described how many would-be V.I.N.G. members were treated by V.I. National Guard recruiters.

“To be candid, the climate at the Virgin Islands National Guard, particularly as it relates to nepotism and sexual assault has been so egregious that when young females have been recruited or attempted to be recruited into the National Guard, recruiters have passed them around as if they are properties before they would allow them into the system,” Mr. Mapp said, referring to the would-be female National Guard members being coerced into having sex with multiple Guardsmen before they could join V.I.N.G. “Some young ladies just decided that they no longer had any interest in joining the Virgin Islands National Guard.”

What could possibly go wrong?

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