Following the arrest of a prolific criminal home invader, a Florida sheriff is encouraging residents to take gun safety courses and be prepared to stand their ground in the event of a break-in occurring at their own homes.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told homeowners they are “more than welcome to shoot” at burglars as he announced the arrest of Brandon Harris, who Johnson described as being one of the “frequent flyers” breaking into local homes.
You aren’t just more than welcome to stand your ground, it’s actually preferred if you do, Johnson stated.
From Wednesday’s press conference:
“If somebody’s breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot them in Santa Rosa County, and we prefer that you do actually.”
Watch:
Shooting at criminal intruders doesn’t have to end with someone dying or even getting injured, as was the case with ending Harris’ crime spree. In this incident, a homeowner shot at Harris, spooking him and causing him to run to another house where he was eventually captured. However, the homeowner who fired the warning shot has refused to come forward, even to the police, despite their attempts to get in contact, likely because they fear they did something wrong.
But that’s not the case, according to Sheriff Johnson, who made his Wednesday remarks with the homeowner in mind. Before this latest string of break-ins, Harris had been arrested 17 times since the age of 13 and had been sent to prison for six-and-a-half years for home invasion.
Describing Harris, Johnson said:
“Some people just don’t learn. For us, he is job security. We deal with him all the time. Hopefully, this time he will go, and he won’t get out.”
In the end, Johnson praised the homeowner who scared Harris away with warning shots and even extended an invitation for them to attend local gun safety classes in order to brush up on their aim:
“We don’t know what homeowner shot at him.
I guess they think they did something wrong, which they did not.
Whoever that was, you’re not in trouble. Come see us. We have a gun safety class we put on every other Saturday, and if you take that, you’ll shoot a lot better, and hopefully, you’ll save the taxpayers money.”
Like many other Red States, Florida is a “stand your ground” state with laws that allow people to protect their homes – with force when needed.
From the Florida SYG Law:
“A person who is in a dwelling or residence in which the person has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and use or threaten to use.”
No responsible gun owner ever wants to be put in the situation where they have to use lethal force to defend their home or their family from a criminal intruder, but, thankfully, in states like Florida, with sheriffs like Bob Johnson, law-abiding Americans can still stand up and protect themselves.
Liberal areas aren’t as lucky.
The full press conference with Sheriff Johnson can be watched here.