As Violence Surges, Lawmakers Weigh Gun Violence Awareness Week Proposal

In a month marked by public anxiety and raw emotion over a string of recent homicides, a bill seeking to establish a Virgin Islands Gun Violence Awareness Week came under the Legislature’s microscope Monday, sparking a wider and more urgent conversation about the breadth of the crisis and the government’s response to it.

he proposal — Bill No. 36-0090, introduced by Sen. Angel Bolques Jr., would formally designate the week beginning the Monday before the first Friday in June as a time for territorywide engagement, education, and reflection on gun violence. Framed as a symbolic measure aligned with National Gun Violence Awareness Month, the bill quickly became a lightning rod for senators’ broader concerns.

“It was supposed to be a commemoration bill,” said Antonio Emanuel, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, in a follow-up with the Source Tuesday. “But I knew they would ask more because of the weekend we just had.”

The past weekend had seen multiple shootings — three fatal — some in broad daylight, in commercial areas, near homes, and in full view of families. Emanuel, testifying in support of the bill Monday, was met with questions from lawmakers about the Office’s role in addressing not just public education, but prevention in the face of escalating, visible violence.