Grady Judd, the sheriff of Polk County in Florida, warned looters that he was recommending homeowners “blow [them] back out of the house with their guns.”

In a press conference on Monday, Sheriff Judd started things off by first asserting that the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis was “outrageous,” and “had that police officer done here what he did there, he would have been locked up in the County jail by sundown.” Judd noted that local protest was a “good thing,” and that people have the right to “express themselves,” while also recognizing that the law enforcement community expects people to protest “in a peaceful manner.”

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However, Sheriff Judd then said that any looters who came to his Florida county “to riot, to loot, to injure people” will simply be “[locked] up in the county jail before ‘quick.’ And it’s not one agency or the other; it’s all of us working together.”

Referring to a photo of a violent protestor all dressed up in what seems like professional gear to keep out tear gas, Judd said that “this person did not come to Lakeland yesterday to exercise his First Amendment rights,” and many others came to Polk County “to create problems.”

“We are going to hunt you down and lock you up if you engage in any criminal conduct,” Judd continued. The famously candid sheriff then issued a strong warning against rioters, looters, and anyone else who was going to “take their criminal conduct into the neighborhoods”:

I would tell them, if you value your life, they probably shouldn’t do that in Polk County. Because the people of Polk County like guns, they have guns; I encourage them to own guns, and they’re going to be in their homes tonight with their guns loaded, and if you try to break into their homes to steal, to set fires, I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their guns. So, leave the community alone.

Personally, I think it’s fantastic to see a sheriff stand up for his community against the violent mobs that have ravaged this country! The people of Polk County are lucky to have someone implement law and order against senseless, destructive violence.

This piece originally appeared in ThePoliticalInsider.com and is used by permission.

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