Senate Hears Plan to Cut Gun Violence

Gun violence has been an issue in the territory for decades. In 2019 the Office of Gun Violence Prevention was created. Its plan for progress was aired Monday at the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Justice, and Public Safety, chaired by Sen. Angel Bolques.

Office of Gun Violence Prevention Director Antonio Emanuel testified that the Gun Violence Reduction Approach Plan “is separated into three sections: Violence Prevention; Violence Intervention; and Community Engagement.”

He said the primary focus of the plan is violence intervention and talked about a member of his staff in the high schools “walking the halls, talking to students, talking to teachers.”

Sens. Donna Frett-Gregory and Javan James, however, did not appear convinced that the office was doing enough to stop the flow of blood. On Nov. 5, St. Thomas registered its ninth homicide of 2022 — the territory’s 31st. The USVI has averaged 40 homicides per year for the past 20 years. An average murder victim is a 27-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds and no explanation.

James and Frett-Gregory questioned Emanuel, who has been on the job since March, about how he has collected data. Frett-Gregory said a lot of work was yet to be done so the government would have the data necessary to track children with behavior problems.