Florida Sheriff Declares “THIS IS WAR!” Tells Americans To Arm Up

a reply to: JinMI

Man, there are idiots everywhere. I know quite a few gun owners. Which says a lot being I live in Cali. One of my really good friends owns a gun shop here in town actually. Only a few of them would I be comfortable around if they were always armed. Only the shop owner I'd feel completely relaxed around and he's always armed. He can be crazy sometimes too but when it comes to that he doesn't screw around. Even he told me the idea of everyone armed is crazy because people in general are just not responsible enough.

I'm all for responsible gun owners who act responsible. But they are few and far between. I know way more normal people with guns who would make me nervous if they were always packing heat. But it's the goof balls which I'd be really worried about and they are everywhere.

This is what Law Enforcement officials should be doing; helping the citizens to be prepared. It saves lives and discourages crime when it's known that people carry. Criminals will go elsewhere.

I wish this guy was my sheriff!
I love his attitude and his commitment to serving the public.

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
This is what Law Enforcement officials should be doing; helping the citizens to be prepared. It saves lives and discourages crime when it's known that people carry. Criminals will go elsewhere.

I wish this guy was my sheriff!
I love his attitude and his commitment to serving the public.

What you're talking about is something different than what this guy is doing though. He's putting fear of the unknown in people's minds and telling them to arm up and get ready for war that could happen anytime in their own home town.

What you're thinking about is actually training people to use a gun responsibly and to be a citizen police force with training and experience using a fire arm on a moments notice like a trained professional. That's not what this guy is doing.

Even cops with all their training do dumb sh*t and shoot wildly or over react to stuff and they do it for a living. Your average joe/jane isn't in a position or capable in most cases to handle that responsibility. You're kidding yourself and thinking way to idealistically if you think any different.

You have it in your head that everyone would be trained in the use of their fire arm. That they would react calmly and not shoot wildly in a stress situation. That they would assess the situation and know what to do and when to fire and all that. That's not what would happen. Just think about it. A little chaos and people running around all pulling weapons at the same time, screaming, confusion....It would be a massive disaster. It wouldn't be some citizen hero's catching the big bad terrorists.

Sure, the terrorist most likely wouldn't make it out alive either. But neither would a dozen other innocent people who get shot in the confusion.

originally posted by: intrptr
Nice gesture sheriff, showboat, blowin his horn, toot tooot.

Sad ... but true.

The problem isn't guns. It's not even those who would terrorize.

The problem resides in laws that are well-designed to inhibit and take our adult responsibilities away from us and make the whole of the population dependent on the government.

Interesting. In the UK's equivalent of Florida, Cornwall (it gets the most sun and is full of pensioners) a similar question was asked by a member of the public on a radio show to the counties police commissioner (this is a political position and not held by a police officer). Her answer was not what I expected, she thinks armed civilians taking part in fighting terrorists is worth looking into. Needless to say the counties most senior officer shot it down [terrible pun...]: Could gun owners fight terrorists?

My view on this is mixed. Statistically speaking you are far more likely to be killed by something other than a terrorist or mass shooter (even in the USA), so buying a gun because there has been a handful of terrorist attacks doesn't make sense (in purely mathematical terms - a member of your family is more likely to be killed by that gun). However if I lived somewhere where armed robberies/burglaries were common e.g. parts of South Africa or the US I wouldn't hesitate.

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

I don't know if you are old enough to have seen the old western movies, but what he is trying to do is to educate enough of the people in his county to stay alive until help arrives and to have enough citizens trained to assist if necessary.

LOL, the police swarm the area of trouble, isolate it, take control for their 'safety'. Anyone showing up with firearms is going to be turned away or shot.

Rural communities don't get attacked. I know rural areas are self contained and well defended, so do assholes that attack schools, movie theaters and nightclubs, i.e., places packed with defenseless people. They don't go there...

'Wild west tv shows' are Hollywood. A better scenario was the Texas Tower sniper, the townsfolk showed up wth their rifles and banged away at the tower for hours with the cops. They would Never allow that today.

Any mass emergency is accompanied by 'lock downs' , another name for Marshall Law. Like the Boston bomber and Katrina scenarios, everyone is ordered to stay indoors, shelter in place. Anyone going armed will be disarmed or more likely shot.

The only scenario I can think of 'Wild West' like is the LA riots after the Rodney King verdict. Cops told shop owners to defend themselves under force of arms, and they did.

a reply to: MarioOnTheFly

...Im not usually pro gun person myself...but some of it makes.sense...depending on where you live.

Where he lives 'war' doesn't happen. Rural communities are well prepared and (pretty isolated). But like 'We' agree, it depends...

originally posted by: Snarl

originally posted by: intrptr
Nice gesture sheriff, showboat, blowin his horn, toot tooot.

Sad ... but true.

The problem isn't guns. It's not even those who would terrorize.

The problem resides in laws that are well-designed to inhibit and take our adult responsibilities away from us and make the whole of the population dependent on the government.

Exactly...

Instead of reaching for our guns we're supposed to reach for a phone and cower in place.

originally posted by: mOjOm
a reply to: JinMI

No anecdotal evidence needed. Just go ask a cop if he likes the idea of all citizens being armed all time. He'll tell you hell no. Because he interacts with citizens every day and knows how irresponsible and stupid most of them are.

Now if you're talking about responsible people, sure, we wouldn't need cops anymore and society would be completely different. But that's not how things are.

I mean I see dozens of idiots every day who'd just be way more dangerous if they were walking around town armed all the time. I'd be more afraid of them tripping on a shoelace and shooting me on accident than some killer getting me.

Not many gun rights activists support "all people being armed at all times". No surprise cops don't either. However, they do overwhelmingly support concealed carry.

a reply to: BigLes

Interesting. In the UK's equivalent of Florida, Cornwall (it gets the most sun and is full of pensioners) a similar question was asked by a member of the public on a radio show to the counties police commissioner (this is a political position and not held by a police officer). Her answer was not what I expected, she thinks armed civilians taking part in fighting terrorists is worth looking into. Needless to say the counties most senior officer shot it down [terrible pun...]: Could gun owners fight terrorists?

I got called out last night to a bit of a mess. I love my job, but I hate that my job is necessary. Anyway, it gave me the opportunity to talk about this video with some of the officers.

I was surprised that most of them favored the Sheriff's approach. They did make it clear that it would only fly in a very few areas in Florida. They said the majority of the Sheriff's departments are way to large and the area of management way too big for it to work in most places.

All of them favored weapons training, concealed carry and safety training. All agreed their response time is not anywhere near what they would like it to be, and that their response time in the rural areas is dismal.

There is never a solution that covers all possibilities, but your chances of survival becomes self limiting if you do nothing, and are not prepared.

If I die because someone tried to save me, or if I die because no one did anything; dead is dead, but I think I prefer dying at the hands of someone trying to help me. A police officer told me once, "It is better to be tried by 12 than carried by six. Doing something may not always lead to a Hollywood ending, but doing nothing is not always the best option.

For the record.
I was working with a detective and two patrol officers. The guys I was with last night, I have worked cases with them before, so they were comfortable talking to me. I am not saying that all police officers feel exactly the same way, but I found their responses interesting.

a reply to: JinMI

The problem is people in certain states if their caught carrying a gun they go to jail...


So this can only apply to the wild, wild west and south

a reply to: face23785

That is awesome!

a reply to: mOjOm

I don't think he's fear mongering at all. You never know where or when crime will happen. Had I not carried concealed I don't know if I would be here today.

If you read the Federalist papers you will see the founders intent with the 2nd Amendment and why they thought it better to have an armed citizenry than a standing army. We have a standing army now but it does not diminish the importance of the 2nd Amendment. Perhaps I have more faith in my fellow citizens but anyone who goes through proper firearms training is highly unlikely to ever pull a gun, no less shoot one without reasonable cause.

We have not only a right to self-defense but an obligation to protect those we love. For me I will choose firearms to do that because at 125lbs and disabled my only other option is to beat them with my cane. To each his own and we have the freedom to choose in the US. I don't think it improper at all that a Sheriff reminds the citizens they have that choice as well.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

Man I just fell in like with you! Well represented sir

originally posted by: Willtell
a reply to: JinMI

The problem is people in certain states if their caught carrying a gun they go to jail...


So this can only apply to the wild, wild west and south

It applies more places than you think.
States that allow open carry.

a reply to: face23785

That's fine. I don't have a problem with concealed carry either. As long as it's someone who is trained and capable of handling the responsibility of it.

Same as simply owning a firearm. If you're a responsible gun owner/carrier that's fine. The key word being responsible.

The thing is that people of all walks of life and for various reasons do lose their sh*t now and then. As in go a little mad and sometimes become violent and unhinged. That's the problem.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

I don't have a problem with people owning guns either. But like you said, "People with proper fire arms training". That's all I'm really saying too.

Because honestly if you have a gun and aren't familiar with it and actually shoot it and clean it and practice with it on a semi frequent basis, you're more of a hazard than anything.

Just having one and not being well trained and skilled and shooting it often just makes you dangerous.

originally posted by: mOjOm
a reply to: Asktheanimals

I don't have a problem with people owning guns either. But like you said, "People with proper fire arms training". That's all I'm really saying too.

Because honestly if you have a gun and aren't familiar with it and actually shoot it and clean it and practice with it on a semi frequent basis, you're more of a hazard than anything.

Just having one and not being well trained and skilled and shooting it often just makes you dangerous.

I'd have to agree. I'd also have to point out that's virtually a non-issue in the US. Very little of our gun problem comes from law abiding gun owners who don't take the responsibility seriously enough. The vast majority of it is suicides, which training/skill matter zero for, and gang violence, which the only argument you can make there is their lack of training occasionally makes them unintentionally hit bystanders. But since they don't typically acquire their guns in a legal manner, requiring training wouldn't fix this.

Most gun owners abhor gun violence, we just don't like it when people try to push for laws that solve non-existent problems. Improperly trained law-abiding gun owners cause very few problems here. If it was all about saving lives shouldn't we fix the major problems that will save the most lives first?

a reply to: JinMIwell he has a point if some terrorist or nihilist starts a mass causality event having some one on hand to stop him might be better than waiting for fuzz to show up. if someone is barreling down the street with a big struck running over people on sidewalk or a person on foot is running around stabbing people a hand gun might help limit the victims alot of cars don't run very well with flat times or with drivers with holes in their heads. in old days if you came across a mad dog you put it down.

a reply to: JinMI
Well I am all for people defending themselves. But this guy is just spouting nonsense, in a nation of 321million something od people in one nation and country, there is bound to be a few weird # going on even on a daily basis, and given certain circumstances and how on the rocks some are about things. The few vids and news pieces about shooting or such going on every few months, considering the numbers of people in the nation and all the things going on both in the world and with people.

Well then those numbers are actually pretty normal, in fact if going by other countries, some with less numbers of populous, crazies and shoot ups and murders are actually pretty low going by a mass of people to number of times it happens.

Now if the populations was somewhere around 100,000 and you have shootings every month? Then something is wrong with you all, and and it would be time for clean up, or line up all 100,000 people of said nation and slap them upside there head, and tell them to go in the corner and think on why they do stupid #.

But so far everybody is on the hype, there making things bigger they they actually are. Its like a preper on steroids, seeing a crime and thief or who knows what in every corner, when in reality there sitting on there fat ass in a cozy room watching to much boob tube, and youtube videos.

To much of that stuff will rot your brain as grandma used to warn.

There is a difference between prepared, and being a bit to over-prepared. One of paranoia, a type of Pareidolia, most times it happens not because you see to much, but because you see to little, and you become focused on certain aspects, of which then you see those aspects in everything else. Basically seeing things that aren't there, but you insert them there because your focused on them being there. Hence your seeing what you want to see. A monster in every shadowy corner and a boogyman around every bend in the road.

And just like the mysterious puffy clouds that look like Santa Claus around Christmas time people spot every December, its bound to happen at least a few time to somebody, somewhere, generally around December. Quite a mystery, that is not really a mystery, indeed.