Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent a powerful message to anyone considering looting in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia.
DeSantis’ message to reporters, with National Guardsmen in the background, was short and unappealing: “You Loot, We Shoot.”
“This part of Florida,” he said, speaking from the Big Bend on Florida’s Gulf coast where Idalia made land, “you’ve got a lot of advocates of the Second Amendment.” He continued, “If you go break into somebody’s house and you’re trying to loot, these are people that are going to be able to defend themselves and their families, so I would not do it.”
DeSantis said looters would be “held accountable” from a law-enforcement perspective.
Here is the video.
DESANTIS ISSUES WARNING TO POTENTIAL LOOTERS
“This part of Florida, you’ve got a lot of advocates of the Second Amendment…You loot, we shoot. You never know what’s behind that door.” pic.twitter.com/U5xmVrVTdu
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) August 30, 2023
Does this message sound familiar to you? This message should. DeSantis gave a similar message in October last year, during Hurricane Ian’s destructive path through the Sunshine State. He said that because Florida is a state with a Second Amendment, “don’t think of looting or taking advantage” of those in disadvantaged situations.
“I can tell you in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home. And I would not want to change that, if I were you, given that we are a second amendment state.”
Florida didn’t have major looting issues after Ian and I would wager that it won’t become a problem when Idalia is over.
DeSantis prepared his state for the storm by mobilizing National Guardsmen to restore power and by pre-deploying electricians. When there is proactive leadership and a good understanding of what they are doing, responding to national emergencies and other crises can be done well by the government. Florida’s response to these two recent hurricanes was a welcome reminder, after two years of COVID-19 panic in Washington and lockdowns.
DeSantis is already being accused of playing politics, highlighting his competency during the storm. What is left out is that DeSantis would not have any politics to play if things went wrong.
Please forgive the crude language used in this article, but I had to share it.
DESANTIS ISSUES WARNING TO POTENTIAL LOOTERS
“This part of Florida, you’ve got a lot of advocates of the Second Amendment…You loot, we shoot. You never know what’s behind that door.” pic.twitter.com/U5xmVrVTdu
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) August 30, 2023
If freedom is like fireworks on July 4, perhaps property rights are like the 12-gauge action of a shotgun.
