An increase in school shootings has recently given new wind to the national debate over tighter gun laws and those arguments took center stage Thursday as students participating in the V.I. High School Appellate Moot Court competition prepared to explore both sides of the issue.
The competition began earlier this week with individual debates from student teams in both districts and wrapped up Thursday with the finals on St. Thomas, with teams from Charlotte Amalie High, St. Croix Central High School and St. Croix Educational Complex presenting their arguments to a panel of V.I. Supreme, Superior and Magistrate Court judges and justices.
In the end, it was the CAHS team that took first place, with seniors Rudel Hodge Jr., Natalia Hill and Ameen Rashid leading the charge. The students were arguing in favor of preserving the constitutional rights of their hypothetical client, “Renaldo Abraham,” a citizen of the town of Frederick Amalie who went to purchase a firearm but was told that he would have difficulty registering it.
In the case, Abraham was the victim of multiple robberies and was seeking to buy a gun in order to protect his family but a law passed by the town’s leaders banned the town’s citizens from carrying firearms within the city limits. 
Charlotte Amalie team member Hodge argued Thursday that while governments are obligated to deal with public safety issues, they still have to uphold their citizens’ constitutional rights. Hodge also argued that the hypothetical law, as passed, was ambiguous and forced the town’s police department, attorney general and judicial branch to work off their interpretations of the language instead of facts.
Hodge said that while the law would technically allow Abraham to purchase the gun, he still would not be able to carry it home.
"In order to get the gun home, he would have to carry it, thus preventing him from possessing it at all," Hodge said. He added that the law should be tailored more to allow licensed gun owners to carry weapons. Tradesmen, such as gardeners who would have also been affected by the law, should also be given consideration – otherwise, they would be prevented from carrying tools such as machetes to work, Hodge said.
While the students argued the law on the court floor, V.I. Bar Association President Ernest Morris Jr. said that they would also get the opportunity to explore the issue on a more personal level during an "alternatives to violence" workshop scheduled for Saturday at the University of the Virgin Islands campuses in both districts.
During the workshop, the students will get to discuss how they felt about the case, the issues that were raised, and their own personal opinions about gun restrictions and citizens’ rights, Morris said.
Speaking during breaks in the competition, the students spoke positively about the Moot Court experience and what they learned during the process.
The competition was established locally in 1994 by former V.I. Superior Court Judge Soraya Diase Coffelt, who said Thursday that she wanted to create an event that would accomplish several things: increase public awareness about important issues affecting the community; promote the study of public speaking, advocacy and the law; teach the community more about the roles of judges and attorneys; improve the public’s opinion about lawyers; and create scholarships for the students involved in the competition.
"Listening to Judge Diase speak today, I would have to say that this competition really does all that," said CAHS junior Kamaza Tonge. "This was really an eye-opening experience for me, so much so that I’m even thinking about changing what I want to do. I was thinking about becoming a chemical engineer, but now my mind has turned toward the law," Tonge said.
Rashid, a senior planning to attend Binghamton University in New York, added that preparing for the competition also gave the students a behind-the-scenes look at the daily life of an attorney and the commitment they make to their work and clients.
"The scholarships are also important," he said. "Things are tight for everyone and this is sort of like a motivator. And as you get more involved, you begin to see all these different options for the future, and that you can be something in life."
Each member of the winning team received $1,000.
Coming in second this year was the team from St. Croix Central High School, followed by a second team from Charlotte Amalie in third place. St. Croix’s Educational Complex team came in fourth place.
Second place team members received $750 each, while each of the third place winners received $500. Each member from the fourth place team received $250.
The competition was sponsored this year by the V.I. Bar Association and the V.I. Humanities Council.
