Florida is beginning its recovery after being slammed by Hurricane Ian, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has a message for would-be looters looking to take advantage of the situation: You might end up shot.

DeSantis shared the sentiment during a press conference on Friday, telling looters that Florida is a “Second Amendment state,” warning that lawlessness will not be tolerated.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warns people not to loot homes amid hurricane recovery: "You never know what may be lurking behind somebody's home…we're a Second Amendment state." https://t.co/zEQTa6EZra pic.twitter.com/EZaVPNXPDq

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 1, 2022

It’s insane that DeSantis even has to say that, but there is no shortage of people out there who think they can take from people who have just had their lives destroyed. Looting is the lowest of the low, and it should be dealt with harshly. Further, if a looter is willing to put their life on the line to steal a television or some shoes, that’s on them.

Florida, like Texas, and several other red states, has a castle doctrine. While you can’t just randomly shoot people you see stealing stuff, if they enter your home, all bets are off. There is no duty to retreat under the law, and force is allowed in defense of one’s self and property.

But while the idea that looting is bad and shouldn’t be tolerated would seem like common sense, predictably, the left devolved into mass hysteria. MSNBC’s Joy Reid decided to compare the Florida governor to segregationist Walter E. Headley.

“When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”—segregationist Miami sheriff Walter E. Headley, 1967

Didn’t take DeSantis long to return to form.https://t.co/8FJKyzQY1G https://t.co/uS5jbrx29S

— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) October 1, 2022

Apparently, if you believe Americans have a right to defend themselves and their homes, that makes you a racist segregationist? That’s the claim by Reid, as little sense as it makes. Why? Because everything the left doesn’t like must be racist. It’s their obsession, and they never miss an opportunity to make the tie-in.

Yet, I’m struck by the assumptions being made by Reid in her commentary. I guess that she believes all homeowners are white and that all looters are black. Otherwise, you could easily have a situation where a black homeowner shoots a white looter. Would that be racist too?

Reid wasn’t the only one losing their mind, though. There were many, many other examples.

This is massively unhelpful and actively dangerous on Ron DeSantis' part. The way you get through hurricanes is for people to help their neighbors and build community, not hole up in your house with a gun looking to shoot nonexistent looters. https://t.co/ATlVe80vpo

— Kathryn Brightbill (@KEBrightbill) October 1, 2022

All this because DeSantis said that looting is bad and could lead to bodily harm. It’s silly, but it’s also a sign that the Florida man has arrived. No matter what he says or does, he elicits a visceral reaction from the left, so much so that he now has them defending criminal behavior. DeSantis could say the sky is blue and the left would lose their minds. That’s how you know he’s over the target.

DeSantis’ ability to dictate the conversation while making his enemies look weak and pathetic is enjoyable to watch. He owns the libs and manages to exhibit extreme competency while doing so. There’s a reason he’s so popular on the right and the left fears him so much.