Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson touted Florida residents' rights under the state's Stand Your Ground law

A Florida sheriff responded to the criticism and praise he has received for his viral comments about encouraging citizens to use the kill shot against home invaders.

During a press conference in April 2022, 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." The comments have gone viral again in juxtaposition to a story in New York where a woman was arrested for trying to remove squatters from her property.

Johnson told Fox News Digital in an interview that he stands by his comments and that it's a "no-brainer."

"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 told Fox News Digital.

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. 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.

The incident Johnson addressed at the 2022 press conference was not a squatter situation like the story in New York, but a home invasion.

Since he made the remarks, he claims there has not been a single home invasion.

"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.

The sheriff touted Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which say residents do not have a legal duty to retreat (i.e. making a reasonable effort to escape) from an attacker.

"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. "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."

I’d like to buy that Sheriff a beer. 

On 3/27/2024 at 10:11 AM, Displaced Texan said:

I’d like to buy that Sheriff a beer. 

#metoo