Clint Johnson, the mayor of DeBary who made headlines when he planned to float from Cuba to Florida in a makeshift raft (only to back out of the ill-advised trip at around the same time an ethics investigation surfaced) is now urging his residents to start packing heat. 

In a post titled "Make DeBary the Safest City in Florida," Johnson responded to the Orlando mass shooting at Pulse nightclub by announcing a "call to arms" for his fellow citizens to get conceal and carry permits and, of course, "combat evil."   

From his site, mayorsmailbox.com: 

It is essential that we residents are armed and prepared to combat the forces of evil in this world should they appear here.

So today I am calling on all the law abiding citizens of DeBary to purchase a firearm at one of our local gun shops, receive training on how to effectively use it, and apply for a concealed weapon license, as soon as possible.

I want to send a very clear message to anyone who wishes to do harm to the people who live in DeBary: If you attempt to take a life here, we will be ready to fight back & we will use deadly force.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Johnson plans to ask the DeBary City Council to pay for gun-safety training for anyone in the city who wants it. 



"The candlelight vigils are great, but people are looking for some solutions," said Johnson to the Sentinel. "I want to make it as easy as possible for the residents of DeBary to defend themselves, to be prepared."

Despite Johnson's fear mongering argument that more guns makes everyone safer, there's zero research that links right-to-carry with lower crime rates. Not to mention that DeBary has a violent crime ratio of 2.75 per 1,000 residents, which is well below the national median of 5.4. 

It's a simple fact that if Johnson was truly looking out for the well-being of his residents, he'd be encouraging them to not conceal and carry. By bringing a gun into your life, you significantly raise the risk of suicide, and the chances of a homicide of some kind doubles, reports NPR. 

Ironically, Johnson's call for a conceal and carry utopia conveniently leaves out the fact that Omar Mateen, who killed 49 and injured 53 at Pulse nightclub two weeks ago, also had a conceal and carry permit and was properly trained. 

If Mateen was from DeBary, it's hard to imagine that Johnson would've wanted the city to pay for his gun training.