During a Thursday press conference, Santa Rosa County (Florida) Sheriff Bob Johnson emphatically supported responsible gun owners forced to defend themselves. Johnson was giving a briefing to the media discussing the arrest of Brandon J. Harris, a criminal with a history of convictions.

Johnson told reporters that the police received multiple calls about a suspicious person in the Pace neighborhood, and that Harris had burglarized several homes. In one instance, he had broken into a home but fled when the homeowner opened fire at him. Harris was not struck by any bullets, but was later captured while breaking into another house. //

The sheriff then asserted that the individual who fired at Harris was within his rights to do so. In fact, he welcomed the idea that homeowners should protect themselves and their homes with firearms if it’s necessary.

“We don’t know which homeowner shot at [Harris]. I guess they think that they did something wrong, which they did not,” he explained. “If somebody is breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot at them in Santa Rosa County. We prefer that you do, actually.”

The sheriff added, “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 save the taxpayers money.”