John Bogna
As Hurricane Irma nears the Virgin Islands, residents’ guns and ammunition are being confiscated by the its government.
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U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp signed an order which allowed for the confiscation of citizens guns, ammunition, explosives, and property the National Guard may need to use in response efforts during the storm.
The order was signed Friday, according to The Daily Caller, and any confiscations have to be approved by the Justice Department.
Irma is now a Category 5 storm, and being anxiously watched by people in the Virgin Islands, Florida, and the Gulf Coast as it edges closer to the US.
According to the Washington Post, the storm hit the leeward group of islands Tuesday night, with one weather station recording 155 mph winds before failing.
Live camera captures Hurricane #Irma's intensity as it bears down on St. Marteen in the Caribbean https://t.co/eUtAVCkopA pic.twitter.com/KZ0s8FmKvr
— CNN (@CNN) September 6, 2017
RELATED: Irma becomes Category 5 storm as it heads towards land
Irma’s maximum sustained windspeed of 185 mph is the strongest recorded for any hurricane to make landfall from the Atlantic.
As such, people aren’t waiting to prepare for it.
Grocery stores are already seeing their shelves empty, and lines are forming at gas stations as Floridians brace for the consequences of Irma making landfall.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló have both declared a state of emergency as Irma advances.
RELATED: Americans brace for Irma after it makes its first landfall.
