Florida Sheriff Says He'd 'Prefer' That Homeowners Shoot Intruders

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A Florida sheriff said that homeowners in his county were “more than welcome” to shoot intruders and that doing so would “save the taxpayers money” during a press conference on April 21.

Sheriff Bob Johnson was speaking about the arrest of Brandon Harris, who was shot at while attempting to break into a home in a subdivision, when he made the remarks.

Sheriff Johnson said: “If somebody’s breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot him in Santa Rosa County. We prefer that you do, actually.”

He continued: “We have a gun-safety class we put on every other Saturday, and if you take that you’ll shoot a lot better and hopefully you’ll save the taxpayers money.”

Harris, the home intruder who was shot at, was taken into custody and charged, Johnson said. Credit: Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office via Storyful

Video Transcript

BOB JOHNSON: And I want to say, as to the person, we don't know what homeowner, which homeowner, shot at him. I guess they think that they did something wrong, which they did not. If somebody's breaking into your house, you're more than welcome to shoot them in Santa Rosa County. We prefer that you do actually.

So, whoever that was, you're not in trouble. Come see us. We have a gun safety class we put on every other Saturday. And if you take that, you'll shoot a lot better, and hopefully you'll save the taxpayers' money. So, with that, questions?