Governor Albert Bryan Jr. signed Executive Order No. 546-2026 on April 24, establishing the first formal policy governing firearms in territorial government buildings and workspaces.
The order addresses a long-standing gap in workplace safety standards across the U.S. Virgin Islands government. Until now, no unified firearms policy existed for state buildings, leaving individual agencies to develop their own rules or operate without clear guidelines.
What Changed
The executive order creates a baseline policy for all government employees and visitors entering territorial buildings. Officials describe the measure as “commonsense” guidance designed to balance workplace safety with the constitutional rights of licensed gun owners operating in the Territory.
The order comes as part of a broader effort by the Bryan administration to modernize Virgin Islands firearm laws. In February, Governor Bryan proposed the Second Amendment Rights and Public Safety Act, legislation aimed at aligning territorial gun regulations with recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings while maintaining local safety standards.
Context: Six Years in the Making
The Bryan administration began addressing firearm policy roughly six years ago, recognizing that the Territory needed updated legal frameworks. Officials worked with the Department of Justice and territorial senators Angel Bolques and Clifford Joseph on earlier legislative proposals before developing this executive order approach.
The order represents one piece of a larger modernization effort. A federal Department of Justice lawsuit also prompted the administration to review and update existing firearm statutes, prompting the February legislative proposal.
Impact on Government Employees
The new policy directly affects roughly 8,500 territorial government employees who work in covered buildings across St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, and Water Island. Agencies including the Department of Education, Department of Health, and various administrative offices fall under the new guidelines.
Employees and visitors will need to understand where firearms are prohibited and what procedures apply if they possess a valid firearm license. The order does not strip anyone of constitutional rights but establishes boundaries for where weapons may be carried within government spaces.
Broader Legal Shift
The executive order fits into a wider recalibration of Virgin Islands gun law. The Territory has historically maintained stricter firearm regulations than most U.S. states, but recent court decisions have challenged some of those restrictions.
The Bryan administration’s approach attempts to honor Second Amendment protections while preserving what officials view as essential public safety measures. That balance—between constitutional rights and workplace safety—will likely shape how the Territory revises remaining firearm statutes in coming months.
Residents, particularly government employees, should review the full text of Executive Order No. 546-2026 to understand how the policy affects their workplaces and individual rights going forward.
