Politically incorrect sheriff tells citizens to shoot home invaders.
Viral comments
A Florida sheriff addressed criticism and praise for his viral comments advocating for citizens to use lethal force against home invaders.
Welcome to shoot
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said, “If someone is breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot. We prefer you to do that, actually.”
‘No brainer’
Johnson said that he stands by his comments and that it’s a “no-brainer.”
Save taxpayers money
“I said [at the press conference] if you shoot accurately, and you kill the guy, you save taxpayers money. And I also said that if somebody gets killed during a home invasion, the odds of them re-offending are zero. And we like those odds, which we do,” he said.
‘I promote the use’
“And in Santa Rosa County, we have a very high percentage of the population that have weapons, and I promote the use of them if you’re in your house,” the sheriff continued.
‘Give you a hug’
“And somebody kicks your door in because they’re not coming in to give you a hug or to give you cookies, they’re coming in to commit felonies,” he continued.
Squatter situation
Sheriff Johnson addressed a home invasion incident at a press conference in 2022, clarifying that it was not a squatter situation like the one in New York. He stated that there have been no home invasions since his comments.
Home invasions
“And it’s kind of ironic that, since that press conference, we haven’t had any home invasions, and it’s been over a year, so it’s kind of odd,” he said.
Perfectly legal
“You don’t have to retreat. You don’t have to give them warning. You don’t have to go barricade yourself in a room. You can shoot and kill them. And in the state of Florida, that’s perfectly legal,” he said.
‘People are afraid’
“And in these other states where they don’t have that, people are afraid to own guns, and they’re afraid to protect themselves. That’s why you have the crime rate in New York, in California.”
Potential harm
The sheriff emphasized the importance of citizens arming themselves for protection due to the potential harm criminals can cause during the 3 to 5 minutes it takes for law enforcement to respond to 911 calls.
Death threats
He provides weekly training classes on gun safety and marksmanship. Despite facing death threats, he maintains his straightforward approach to addressing the situation.
‘I really don’t care’
“After my press conference, I was getting death threats by the hundreds every day. And, I had another interviewer ask me, ‘Are you worried about that?’ And I said, ‘No, because all the death threats are coming from states where you can’t buy a gun anyway, so I really don’t care,” he told Fox News.
Racially motivated
“When they say it’s racially motivated, the person who said that must be racially motivated because they’re assuming that only minorities break into homes, which is not the case. The individual I was speaking about was Caucasian,” the sheriff said.
Political correctness
“And so they elected a cop here as sheriff, and I speak like a cop. I don’t care about political correctness. I’m going to tell it like it is. If you don’t like it. I’m sorry, but it’s the way it is,” Johnson said.
Their rights
“I say what people want to hear. They want to hear that their rights are going to be protected and that they’ll be protected in their own home,” he added.
DeSantis’ support
Johnson said he is able to speak freely because of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support.
Pro-law enforcement
“We have a very pro-law enforcement governor – DeSantis. He loves the citizens of Florida, and the criminals, they get a tough time in the state, and it’s because of him and his leadership,” he said.
Smart thing
“As an elected official, like I said, my number one fundamental responsibility is the protection of the citizens of Santa Rosa County. And I think letting them protect themselves, especially in their homes, is a smart thing to do,” Johnson continued.
‘I’m proud of them’
“I think we have a great bunch of citizens out there that love guns. And, hey, I’m proud of them,” the sheriff concluded.
