Lee County (FL) Sheriff Mike Scott (Photo: Facebook)
A statement from Lee County (FL) Sheriff Mike Scott in the hours following the mass shooting in Orlando has drawn mixed reactions from the public.
About six hours after news broke Sunday about the shooting at Pulse nightclub, Scott released a statement on Facebook denouncing President Barack Obama's views on demilitarizing police, the Naples Daily News reports.
"In recent years, President Obama has issued 'executive orders' limiting law enforcement access to armored vehicles and criticizing use of same. As always, his willing partners in the media promote the notion that law enforcement officers should somehow respond to critical events in kinder, gentler fashion. We had examples of this flawed thinking not long ago when the FMPD acquired a military surplus vehicle before Obama put the brakes on that program. We at the LCSO have had an armored Bearcat for years; indeed, the very same style vehicle used earlier this morning to stop the mass shooting in the Orlando nightclub. It’s just this simple folks, bullets are bullets whether they are flying on the foreign soil of Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. or anywhere USA like say, Orlando? This most recent tragedy in Orlando is yet another example of how real the threat can be, and my thoughts and prayers are with the injured and the families of those killed. I am left to wonder how our President and anyone subscribing to his shallow rhetoric about demilitarizing police would respond to a hail of gunfire. It is truly a hypocrite that rides around in armored vehicles while suggesting that the modern day law enforcement officers do otherwise."
