“Gov. DeSantis warns Milton looters could meet shooters in ‘Second Amendment state’,” Florida Politics reported Tuesday. The governor issued the warning while issuing preparedness updates for the approaching hurricane at the State Emergency Operations Center.
“If you go into somebody’s house after the storm passes, think that you’re going to be able to commit crimes, you’re going to get in really serious trouble,” DeSantis cautioned. “And quite frankly, you don’t know what’s behind that door in a Second Amendment state.”
That’s a continuation of “You loot, we Shoot” warnings DeSantis had issued for hurricanes Ian and Idalia in 2022 and 2023, the report reminds readers:
“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.”
Property owners protecting themselves, their homes, and their businesses would do well to remind themselves that, because it is a “law-and-order” state, any shooting they do had better be in compliance with the law. Florida’s “stand your ground” provisions won’t give them a pass from prosecution if there’s a question of legality, or if a Democrat DA decides there’s ginned-up anger they can exploit.
Defenders can find the legal system takes more from them than the hurricane did, especially if found guilty and sentenced to prison. Either way, they could lose everything they own. On top of that, even if criminal charges don’t stick, civil lawsuits by surviving rioters, or by family members of those who didn’t, can wipe out the rest of a defender’s property, especially if jurors are sympathetic to the pillagers and hostile to those they deem “privileged.”
Such views have been encouraged by prominent anti-gun Democrat politicians like Maxine Waters, who defended the Los Angeles riots as a “rebellion.” And they’ve been amplified in the years since by collectivist “thought leaders” as exemplified by “In Defense of Looting,” equating it with “anti-racism” and “not merely a manifestation of collective anger but a demonstration of resistance to a political-economic status quo that has failed most people.”
If any looters are shot, recent history may be the best guide for what to expect. If riots following the deaths of Michael Brown and George Floyd are any indicators, violent protests could erupt nationwide, and the objects of anger this will not just be police, but home and business owners.
There’s a saying among gun owners about concealed carry in jurisdictions where it’s banned that could apply here:
“I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by six.”
That’s a choice no one should be forced to make. Here’s hoping those who think they’re forced to know what is legally justifiable use good sense and are able to weather another furious storm.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
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