Police Commissioner Delroy Richards Supports Issuing Firearm Licenses To Residents

ST. CROIX — Police Commissioner Delroy Richards, Sr. has revealed to The Consortium that he supports the idea of citizens of the territory bearing arms, albeit after meeting certain criteria.

Richards made known his stance during an event at The Church of the Nazarene in Williams Delight on Sunday, August 23, which was held in honor of students of the Elena Christian Junior High School (ECJH) Rocketry Club, where he was the keynote speaker.

In light of the recent criminal activity that has affected the territory, this publication made a decision to publish the commissioner’s comments today, deeming the discussion of such matters timely.

Richards said the retaliatory trend in the territory has caused innocent, successful young men to lose their lives.

“Some of these young folks in the community, when I look at their background, especially some of the deceased, a lot of them finished high school, they’re very smart, but they picked up a bullet because of the trend of retaliation,” Richards said. “You can have a degree, but if somebody’s going to kill, they will kill you. So it’s not like they’re breaking into someone’s house.”

The police commissioner added that he’s spoken to many individuals who said they wanted to carry a firearm only to protect themselves, “because the guy across the street is armed and I don’t want to take a chance,” Richards said.

“Folks a saying that,” he continued, adding that the 31st Legislature had recently passed a measure in the Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Justice as it relates to carrying of concealed weapons. The measure is now headed to the Committee on Rules and Judiciary, chaired by former law enforcement officer Sen. Kenneth Gittens, according to Richards.

“As long as you meet the criteria. And I think I’ve made my position known on the record that if you can show me that law abiding citizens in this community are the ones committing crimes involving firearms, then I would take a different position. If you can’t, then I would say this, if you meet the criteria, I wouldn’t have a problem issuing a firearm license.”

Asked what those criteria were, Richards said you must have no criminal record, and be able to prove  that you have a need (victim of criminal activity, for example).

“Folks like that you want to give them a chance because everybody around them have that chance but they have it illegally. And if I don’t do it, they’re going to get out and get a gun, because the old concept, ‘it’s better to be judged by twelve than to be carried by six’, that’s the philosophy they’re going to use,” Richards concluded.