J.D. Gallop

FLORIDA TODAY

Sheriff Wayne Ivey's call for Brevard County citizens to carry firearms to protect themselves and others from "bad guys with guns" has found a national audience, and brought both praise and criticism from Space Coast residents.

Ivey first took his nearly seven minute message – which touched on patriotism, terrorism and citizen activism – to Facebook on Sunday night with a video that also invited the public to take a course on self-defense and tactical shooting. He advocated his call again in a front-page column Tuesday in FLORIDA TODAY. The sheriff's video clip went viral, garnering over 4.4 million views since it was posted Sunday night and shared nearly 146,000 times, according to the agency's Facebook metrics.

The tough-talking message landed the longtime law enforcement veteran an interview on FOX News, CNN and other national news outlets amid discussions about mass shootings and terrorism, such as the recent attack carried out by a radical Islamic couple that left 14 dead in San Bernardino, California.

Ivey said that he is not advocating vigilante-style or "wild west" behavior but instead is asking for responsible citizens to be aware of their surroundings and ready to respond appropriately, if necessary. While the media-savvy message won Ivey national attention, he's hardly the only law enforcement officer making such an argument.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona, who gained attention for his controversial handling of immigrants and inmates and for forming an investigative team to look into President Barack Obama's birth certificate, issued a similar call. Earlier this week, a Texas police chief issued a missive on video that trumpeted the importance of citizens carrying arms and lashed out against Obama, saying that efforts to seize guns would cause a "revolution." Two days ago, Marion County Sheriff Chris Blair followed Ivey by posting his own social media message encouraging licensed gun owners to carry their firearms in the public in response to possible terrorism or mass shooting threats.

Brevard Sheriff: Good guys need guns to 'target' terror

The notion of civilians, strapped and armed, going to churches, college campuses, malls, even hospitals, is a dangerous one to Ari Freilich, an attorney with the San Francisco-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a non-profit organization that advocates educating the public about gun violence.

"The US is already the most heavily armed developed nation on earth. We have more guns in civilian hands in this country than there are people," Freilich told FLORIDA TODAY in an email.

Freilich says his organization is calling for "smarter gun laws," and adds that other strategies exist to curb gun violence, including bolstering background checks and stopping people who have protective orders filed against them from gaining access to firearms.

"We strongly encourage Florida’s law enforcement officers and leaders to consider whether the state’s gun laws are effectively protecting and securing Florida’s communities from the threat of gun violence," Freilich said.

Ivey, however, said that his message was not about politics or debating gun control but instead promotes the idea of citizens being able to protect themselves against those wishing to harm others.

His message immediately won praise from social media commentators.

"I'm a good guy. I'm getting a gun. Taking a safety course and going to the shooting range to practice just in case I'm ever in a situation and you can bet I'll get them with one shot," said Rebecca Robinson Van Noy in a post to FLORIDA TODAY's Facebook page.

Brevard Sheriff Ivey calls for open carry laws

Another poster, Julie Jeffords said, "Thank you, Sheriff Ivey, for pointing out that we need to empower ourselves as citizens. Reliance on law enforcement to save us is impractical and unrealistic. Only by learning the right skills and having the right frame of mind can we protect ourselves."

Not all Brevard County residents, however, were impressed.

Bonnie French, a Palm Bay resident and a gun owner, questioned the sheriff's message.

"I don't have any problems with people having a gun. It just doesn't need to be an accessory," said French, a self-described liberal who grew up on a farm in Canada. "I'm not anti-gun. But the answer is stop pounding (the message) that we all have to live in fear."

On Facebook, Susan Myers of Cape Canaveral wrote: "I respectfully disagree Sheriff Ivey...more guns in the hands of crazy citizens is not the answer. The recent terrorists were able to legally purchase guns...how are you going to screen the good guys from the bad guys."

But Mark Laderwarg, a retired Melbourne police commander and a fundraiser for the National Rifle Association, said the sheriff’s message is a necessary one that makes common sense.

“I would tell you that the Sheriff showed honesty and courage in informing the people of Brevard County the police cannot not always be there to protect them and that they are often the real first responders,” he said. “Encouraging citizens to be alert, armed, and trained is a refreshing change from the rhetoric often quoted by law enforcement officials,” he said.

Contact Gallop at 321-242-3642, jdgallop@floridatoday.com, and on Twitter at @JDGallop