Sheriff Joe Arpaio is rallying the 250,000 Arizona gun owners take part in the fight against terrorism and mass shootings, according to Breitbart. On Tuesday, Sheriff Joe claimed he can no longer guarantee the Arizona public's safety and urged the public to keep their guns ready to take matters into their own hands.
"I'm just talking about the areas where you have large crowds and someone pulls out the gun and starts shooting. Maybe somebody with a concealed weapon takes the guy down," Arpaio said, according to KPHO.
"I'm asking for that group to make sure that if some violent activity occurs that they take action to defend themselves," Arpaio continued, according to Fox 10 Phoenix, "and also the people around them until law enforcement shows up."
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has had a mall patrol posse since 1993 under Arpaio and this year will continue with a twist. Over the weekend, the MCSO posse arrested a woman from their wanted list for shop lifting and carrying drugs.
Robert Merritt is a proud member of the MCSO posse, claiming the posse made six arrests during last year's holiday season. "We drive around the outside of the mall, we come in here, we drive up and down the parking garage here, and we'll go up to the other floors," said Merritt.
While some law enforcement officials are voicing their opposition to the idea, "Sheriff Joe, the Toughest Sheriff in America" is appealing to the quarter million citizens who legally carry a concealed weapon to help keep the peace.
Pinal County Chief Deputy Steve Henry said he thinks this is a terrible idea. Untrained gun owners could add to an already confusing situation at big events, adding to the risk of innocent bystanders. "Sometimes it's not proper to pull the trigger because the collateral damage is not worth it," Henry said. "We don't want to walk into a gun fight between anybody, much less a gun fight where people are untrained."
"All I'm saying is if it's controversial, then OK, let it be controversial, but we have to protect the public," Arpaio said.
