With Hurricane Milton bearing down on Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a stern warning to those considering looting in the wake of the storm. Speaking at a briefing at the state’s Emergency Operations Center, the governor emphasized that Florida’s status as a “Second Amendment state” could mean dire consequences for anyone attempting to exploit the chaos.
“This is not going to be an opportunity for folks to take advantage of people,” DeSantis said. “If you think you’re going to go in and loot, you got another thing coming. Now, you go into somebody’s house after the storm passes, thinking that you’re going to be able to commit crimes, you’re going to get in really serious trouble. And quite frankly, you don’t know what’s behind that door in a Second Amendment state.”
DeSantis’s remarks echoed statements he made during past storms, such as Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Ian in 2022. He referenced the well-known slogan, “You loot, we shoot,” which has become a familiar sentiment in the aftermath of disasters.
“This part of Florida, you’ve got a lot of advocates and some proponents of the Second Amendment,” he said, recalling signs in previous years that warned potential looters against taking advantage of vulnerable communities.
He also highlighted the swift legal action taken against those who attempted to loot in past storms including Hurricane Helene barely two weeks ago.
“We’ve already brought a lot of people, held people accountable in post Helene, and we will be very swift across all levels of government to throw the book at people,” DeSantis said. He made it clear that both state and local authorities would be vigilant in preventing post-storm lawlessness.
The governor’s message was unambiguous: any attempt to take advantage of Floridians struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton would be met with strong resistance, both from law enforcement and potentially from armed property owners.
“When you make these bad decisions, you’re opening yourself up to responses from property owners who may be inside that house,” DeSantis warned.
As Hurricane Milton approaches, DeSantis’s words serve as both a caution to would-be criminals and a reassurance to residents that not only will their safety and property be defended in the storm’s aftermath, but if they are forced to defend it personally, they have the legal right to do so.
Ron DeSantis was my top choice after Trump for president. Obviously doing a capable job in hurricane ravished Florida. Vote Red next month!
Sorry Ron but you need to stay as Florida governor. You are very much needed there now. Try again in 2028.
The only reason I didn’t want DeSantis as president is that I didn’t want to lose him as governor.
Yep. He might need a sleep coach tho. He ain’t been getting much rest, I dont think….
The really great aspect of this situation is that if you do need to shoot a looter, there is no need to shovel. If the winds don’t blow the carcass away, the flood waters will wash it away. All the security cameras are off line. The police are elsewhere.
Any neighbors who haven’t evacuated are like minded. They will see nothing and say nothing. All you have to do is shoot and shut up.
Plenty of gators in the swamp to feed.
Years ago while visiting the Kennedy Space Center, I was arrested for molesting the alligators.
You would be surprised how long ring and similar will continue to function without power. With that said if the cell network is down it doesn’t typically matter.
my point exactly
Cell ain’t down…
Not to worry the caring mamala cackles will be there with $750 to help that is if you can locate a source of communication to jump through all the fema hoops, and good luck with that when you and yours are already sht out of luck.
TRUMP/VANCE 2024.
I had to take down my 2A “dog whistle” today because of the inclement weather.
So yeah, without any houses flying the American Flag during the hurricane, there’s no way at all to know who’s locked and loaded…and who’s just loaded.
The higher prices have hampered the hurricane parties in Louisiana, but they will survive.