Hendry sheriff: Residents should be armed in case of terror attack

LABELLE, Fla.- In light of the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden is encouraging residents to obtain concealed weapons permits to better protect themselves in the event of a local attack.

“Radical Islam has openly declared war on us and has vowed to attack us here, on our soil,” he said Monday on the department’s Facebook page. “Times are getting bad and it is up to us to keep ourselves safe.”

Whidden said while it is unlikely Hendry County will be subjected to a terror attack, he does not want residents to be “helpless victims” in case there was one.

“The fact is that we will never be able to stop someone from attempting to carry out a violent attack, but we as armed citizens can mitigate the damage,” he said.