(a) No person shall within the Virgin Islands change, alter, remove, or obliterate the name of the maker, model, manufacturer's number, or other mark or identification on any pistol, machine gun, or sawed-off shotgun. Possession of any pistol, machine gun, or sawed-off shotgun upon which any such mark shall have been changed, altered, removed, or obliterated shall be prima facie evidence that the possessor has changed, altered, removed or obliterated the same within the Virgin Islands: Provided, however, That nothing contained in this section shall apply to any officer or agent of the United States or the Government of the Virgin Islands engaged in experimental work.
(b) Whoever, unless otherwise authorized by law, has, possesses, bears, transports or carries either, actually or constructively, openly or concealed, any firearm, as defined in section 451(d) of this title, loaded or unloaded, with altered or obliterated identification marks, in a public place, a residential area, a vehicle or any place where persons are gathered shall be imprisoned for not less than fifteen (15) years without parole.