A Sheriff That Gets It

This is a story that we discussed on The Polite Society Podcast a few days ago. It involves Harnett County, NC Sheriff Larry Rollins (R) who is forthright in his advice to residents to arm themselves.

For those not familiar with North Carolina geography, Harnett County is located between Wake and Cumberland Counties or, in other words, Raleigh and Fayetteville. Its two "major" towns are Lillington (the county seat) and Dunn. I put major in quotes because the population of both of these towns is less than 10,000 residents. The county is undergoing a growth spurt due to its location along Interstate 95 and its proximity to Raleigh and Fayetteville. Along with the growth has come crime.

Last Monday, residents held a community meeting at the Spring Hill United Methodist Church to discuss the rising crime in the western part of the county. Among the speakers was Sheriff Rollins who blamed the rise of crime on drugs and gangs. Sheriff Rollins was also blunt about what he thought residents should do - arm themselves.

"When I am out with my family, even though I am a cop, I don't go anywhere without a gun," Rollins told the crowd. "I mean it's sad we have to have that attitude, but I am going to protect myself and my family. I want my deputies at your house just as fast as they can when you got a problem, but you better be able to take care of business until we get there if you have to protect your family."

Sheriff Rollins gets it - the real first responders are you and me and not his deputies as good as they may be.