AFTER DECLARING AN EMER BECAUSE OF GEAR UNSAFE LIGHTS; THE ATCT LCL CTLR PROCEEDED TO LECTURE CREW REGARDING NEEDED CREW ACTION AT PBI.

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AFTER CONDUCTING EMER CHKLIST FOR UNSAFE GEAR INDICATION AND DECLARING AN EMER WITH PBI APCH; WE REQUESTED A TWR FLY-BY TO CONFIRM '3 DOWN AND LOCKED.' SINCE WE WERE ALREADY LOW ON FUEL AFTER FLYING FROM TKPK; WE DID NOT WANT ANY FURTHER DELAYS AFTER TWR CONFIRMED THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED; SO WE REQUESTED THE TWR VFR PATTERN TO RETURN TO LAND. IN VMC; TWR GAVE US A HDG (UPWIND) AWAY FROM THE FIELD AND INSTRUCTED US TO SWITCH TO APCH. WE DECLINED THIS AND INSISTED ON STAYING IN THE TWR PATTERN; WHICH TWR RELUCTANTLY AGREED TO; AND WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. ALTHOUGH TWR AGREED TO KEEP US IN THE PATTERN; HE PROCEEDED TO LECTURE US FOR 10-15 SECONDS ON WHY HE WOULD RATHER HAVE US GO BACK TO APCH (AIRSPACE LIMITATIONS; ETC). WE POLITELY THANKED HIM FOR ALLOWING US TO STAY IN THE TWR PATTERN. PROB: THOUGH ATC WAS AWARE OF OUR LOW FUEL STATE AND THOUGH WE HAD DECLARED AN EMER; AN IMMEDIATE RETURN HAD TO BE INSISTED UPON BY THE CREW; IN VMC. ADDITIONALLY; THIS IS PROBABLY NOT THE BEST TIME FOR A LECTURE ON AIRSPACE LIMITATIONS. POSSIBLE SOLUTION: WHEN CONDUCTING CTLR TRAINING; ENSURE GREATER AWARENESS OF PLT LEEWAY ALLOWED DURING EMER OPS.