‘You Loot, We Shoot’: 5 Times Law Abiding Citizens Used Firearms To Defend Against Looters

In the wake of Hurricane Ian’s devastation, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently told reporters that several businesses had painted the infamous warning “you loot, we shoot” on their boarded up store fronts as they prepared for the inevitable criminal aftermath of the natural disaster. But DeSantis had his own warning for looters:

“I can tell you, in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home. I would not want to chance that if I were you, given that we’re a Second Amendment state.”

And DeSantis wasn’t alone. Florida’s Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd also made headlines for his warning to criminals looking to take advantage of the devastation wrought by Ian:

“I would highly suggest that if a looter breaks into your home, comes into your home while you’re there to steal stuff, that you take your gun and you shoot him. You shoot him so that he looks like grated cheese. Because you know what? That’s one looter that won’t break into anyone else’s home and take advantage of them when they’re the most vulnerable and the most weak.”

Sound bites aside, what actually happens in these communities as they’re rattled by looting and unrest? Just as we’ve seen peaceable individuals commonly use firearms in everyday self-defense and to stop would-be mass shooters, peaceable gun owners also regularly use firearms to defend their lives and livelihoods from destruction and looting after natural disasters and civil unrest.

Here are five such examples:

1) Orlando Jewelry Store Owner Stops Would-Be Looters in the Wake of Hurricane Ian

It takes a special kind of depravity to loot in the wake of a natural disaster. And yet, as Orlando recovers from the destruction of Hurricane Ian, four criminals took the opportunity to target a jewelry store in Orlando’s Magic Mall and attempted to ‘smash and grab’ the store.

The store owner, however, was armed. When the four entered, the owner opened fire, striking at least two. One was found dead at the store, the other three got into a car and fled. Police later found the car abandoned, and one more would-be looter dead.

Another store owner in the Magic Mall had this warning: “There’s a lot of concealed license carriers here. So if you come to the Magic Mall and you want to commit a crime, there’s a really good chance you’re gonna get shot.”

2) Scottsdale, Arizona, Jewelry Store Owners Stop Vandals in their Tracks

In May 2020, Scottsdale, Arizona, was one of the many cities across the United States to experience violent unrest in the wake of the death of George Floyd. But some Arizonans wouldn’t allow their livelihoods to be destroyed.

After seeing criminals break in and loot the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall the evening prior, several members of the community armed themselves to protect a local jewelry store from suffering the same fate.

Sure enough, that evening, they watched protesters march down Scottsdale’s 5th Avenue, destroying stores and storefronts along the way.

When the vandals reached the well-protected jewelry store, they were stopped in their tracks. The protesters seemingly decided it wasn’t in their best interest to damage this particular store, and instead staged a performative protest in front of it. The store suffered no damage, and no one was harmed.

The store owner’s son spoke out: “We weren’t here to hurt anybody. We weren’t here to harm anybody. After seeing exactly what happened to the Apple store, this isn’t protesting, this isn’t rioting, this is crime.”

3) Philadelphia Gun Store Owner Shoots and Kills Would-Be Looter

Just days after the Scottsdale incident, one would-be Philadelphia looter didn’t walk away from his attempt to loot a local gun store. Gregory Isabella, the 67-year-old owner of a gun store in South Philadelphia, spent the night in his store because of multiple break-in attempts over the past few nights.

That evening, Gregory was monitoring security camera footage and saw a group of men use bolt cutters to cut a lock off the store’s gate. They smashed in the back door and went upstairs, where they encountered the armed owner.

One pointed a handgun at Gregory, and Gregory opened fire, striking and killing one criminal and sending the others running. Not only did Gregory protect his life and livelihood, but he also prevented the would-be looters from terrorizing his community with stolen firearms.

4) Texas Looters Choose the Wrong Neighborhood to Loot After Hurricane Harvey

In 2018, after Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc across Texas, a group of looters targeted the Little York Food Mart in Harris County, just north of Houston. While they were trying to take advantage of the unprotected store, Nash John came to its defense. 

Bearing a shotgun slung over his shoulder, the looters quickly ran off as the ex-SWAT Deputy approached the store, preventing the looters from getting away with anything.

“As a former law enforcement officer, I understand it’s not right to steal.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases