V.I. Police reviewing guns stored at police stations
Published: November 8, 2011
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If you've had a firearm placed for safekeeping with the Virgin Islands Police Department for more than a year, it's time to check in.
The Police Department issued a statement Monday saying that its Firearms Bureaus in both districts are reviewing the guns left with them for safekeeping by registered gun owners.
Under V.I. Code, firearms left in the Police Department's care that have remained unclaimed by the owner for at least 12 months can be considered abandoned, according to the statement.
The program under which registered gun owners may place their firearms with the department for safekeeping was designed for gun owners who are planning to leave island for a while, to give them a safe place to store their weapons while they are away, said St. Croix Police Chief Christopher Howell.
Others who may have placed their firearms for safekeeping with police include family members of a registered gun owner who has died, who have not yet decided what to do with the weapon, he said.
"In both the district of St. Thomas-St. John and St. Croix, there are a number of weapons we are holding in safekeeping that have been in storage for more than a year; in some cases the weapons have been in storage for several years," Acting Police Commissioner Raymond Hyndman said in the release. "We are attempting to reach out to these owners to determine if they are still interested in storing the weapon or if that weapon is abandoned."
Howell said the Firearms Bureaus have been working on sending out notices to the owners.
On St. Croix, there are more than 500 weapons in the storage vault, comprising guns that are evidence in crimes as well as guns that are being held for safekeeping for registered owners, Howell said.
"Some of them are very dated," he said. "Some of them, I think people have kind of abandoned them."
Owners who have had their weapons stored with the Police Department for safekeeping for more than 12 months have until Dec. 7 to contact police, or the guns will be scheduled for destruction.
Virgin Islands Code allows the Police Commissioner to destroy firearms left in safekeeping more than 12 months at least once a year, according to Hyndman.
However, there has not been a review of the status of these weapons in several years, he said.
People who have a weapon in storage at the Police Department or who know someone who has left a weapon stored with police, can contact the Firearms Bureau on St. Thomas at 715-5519 or 715-5563 or on St. Croix at 712-6058 or 712-6023.
- Contact Joy Blackburn at 774-8772, ext. 455 or e-mail jblackburn@dailynews.vi.
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