A.G. Gancarski
Another devastating storm has hit Florida, and with that comes a familiar message from the state’s Governor.
In Perry, Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed reports of looting in storm-struck Steinhatchee, saying criminals could be met with the business ends of firearms.
“This part of Florida, you’ve got a lot of advocates and some proponents of the Second Amendment. And I’ve seen signs in different people’s yards in the past after these disasters, and I would say it’s probably here, ‘You loot, we shoot.’ You never know what’s behind that door,” DeSantis said.
“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 added that the state would not “tolerate any looting in the aftermath of a natural disaster,” and that looters “would be held accountable from a law enforcement perspective at a minimum.”
“You loot, we shoot” was a message deployed after last year’s major storm, Hurricane Ian.
Speaking near Fort Myers in the leveled community of Matlacha, he relayed one sight he saw in Punta Gorda.
“They boarded up all the businesses, and there are people that wrote on their plywood, ‘you loot, we shoot,’” DeSantis said. “At the end of the day, we are not going to allow lawlessness to take advantage of this situation. We are a law-and-order state, and this is a law-and-order community, so do not think that you’re going to go take advantage of people who’ve suffered misfortune.”
He said something similar in St. Augustine last year.
“I can tell you, in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home,” DeSantis said. “I would not want to chance that if I were you, given that we’re a Second Amendment state.”
___
Renzo Downey contributed to this report.
12 comments
M. Mouse
August 30, 2023 at 4:05 pm
The little Governor wants to see someone get shot! At the border, here in Florida, doesn’t matter! Open fire!
Squeak!
Michael K
August 30, 2023 at 5:28 pm
Thus spake Governor DeathSentence. He loves killing people, apparently.
Fred Nelius
August 30, 2023 at 5:51 pm
It might be hard or impossible to tell a looters from a home or shop owner without verification. I can see shooting a gang of obvious looters, but care must be taken if it is just one or two people salvaging personal properly from their home or business.
My Take
August 30, 2023 at 6:36 pm
Te DeSSantis’ Criterion
Black = Looter
Fred Smith
August 30, 2023 at 6:17 pm
So I have to wonder, what is so worth dying for that people want to break the law, enter someone elses property, and take what’s not theirs.
I have very little pity for someone that is trying to take advantage of people in a bad position. Don’t break in, don’t take what’s not yours, don’t confront and threaten people that are protecting their own.
People act like everyone’s just out shooting everything that moves. Don’t want to get burned, don’t touch the stove.
Tjb
August 30, 2023 at 11:05 pm
Why is DeSantis’s rhetoric so hell bent? He can’t stop talking about murdering immigrants, slitting the throats of federal worker, now possible looter. His speak is creating an environment making murder acceptable. Look at what happened in Jacksonville.
Tom Leykis
August 31, 2023 at 1:17 am
DeSantis is excellent. He manages difficulty and crisis well and responds appropriately. Kudos to him and what he stands for. I love the 2nd Amendment and the entire Bill of Rights, as does he.
ScienceBLVR
August 31, 2023 at 7:23 am
I love that Bill of Rights, too, especially the first one, you know, the one that includes Free Speech… but Don’t say Gay in this state!
My Take
August 31, 2023 at 6:41 pm
DeSSantis thinks, acts, and talks like an archetypal dumb redneck.
For some reason despite his education.
Ima Person
August 31, 2023 at 9:05 am
DeSatan is a sick man. Shoot first, ask questions later.
N_GGERS
September 1, 2023 at 1:52 pm
“Looters”….right…..
Jeanne Wrann
September 2, 2023 at 7:42 pm
DeSantis is crazier than first thought to be. Lots of innocent people are going to get shot because of his statement. Hitter has risen from the dead
Comments are closed.