(ProsperNews.net) – A Florida Sheriff has attracted criticism for encouraging people to shoot home invaders. Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson first made the remarks in April 2022 and recently stood by them, saying homeowners defending their own property is a “no-brainer.”
In a press conference two years ago, Sheriff Johnson stated that shooting an invader saves taxpayer money, adding, “We’d prefer you did that.” Johnson noted that if a person breaks down your door, they’re not doing so to bring flowers or cookies, they do it because they intend to commit a felony, and it is the right of Americans to defend what belongs to them.
In addition to saving taxpayer funds, the Sheriff described other advantages to lethal home defense, including that “the odds of them re-offending are zero.”
A video clip of the 2022 press conference has gone viral again, this time against the backdrop of a New York stand-off between a woman and a group of squatters.
Adele Andaloro inherited her parents’ $1 million home in Flushing, New York, and intended to sell it. Instead, she found it occupied by squatters and contacted local media. With reporters from ABC 7, she entered the house to see strangers making themselves at home.
Police evicted the uninvited guests, but they returned later, claiming squatters’ rights. The homeowner had by then changed the locks, so police arrested her for unlawful eviction and told her to go to court to regain access to the property.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Johnson reminded Floridians of the Sunshine State’s Stand Your Ground laws. These laws took effect in 2005 and permit a person to use lethal force to prevent the commission of a felony – including home invasion. Unlike in some states, Florida does not have a duty to retreat that obliges people to flee a scene, if they can, rather than use force.
Addressing New York, Sheriff Johnson said people there are often victims of crime because they are afraid to use guns.
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