A Florida sheriff is encouraging residents with guns to prepare mentally and physically as the first line of defense against terrorists.

Brevard County, Florida sheriff Wayne Ivey posted a 7 minute video to Facebook today calling on armed citizens to defend their community against active shooters and other terrorist situations – a rally call that was also submitted to Florida Today as an editorial.

The message touches on recent terrorist attacks and condemns politically correct politicians that he believes enables terrorists to repeatedly attack and kill innocent people. Ivey encourages decision makers to talk straight with the public, to confront terrorists, and asks the public to prepare for the possibility of violent confrontations by arming themselves with weapons and knowledge.

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“The purpose of this … is to tell our citizens that if a terrorist attack or active shooter scenario can happen in California, Texas, South Carolina, or Paris, it can happen right here in our own back yard,” Ivey said in the video, which has exploded online with more than 1 million views, 14,000 “likes” and 45,000 “shares” in the first 18 hours.

“Now, more than ever before is the time for law enforcement and our citizens to be fully prepared to immediately respond to an attack or active shooter scenario with the right tools to eliminate, or at the very least disrupt the attack.

“It is a known fact that the best law enforcement agencies in the country have response times in minutes, yet violent criminals can take our lives in seconds. Law enforcement officers in San Bernardino arrived on scene about 4 minutes after the incident was first reported. Even with that incredible response time, they arrived to find too many dead or critically wounded,” he said.

He continued:

“As a Sheriff, an elected official and citizen of our great country, I am personally disgusted by the senseless attacks and murders of ‘good people’ by ‘bad people’ with evil intent who have for too long been allowed to act in this manner. Equally concerning, is the fact that there are those in our country who are in a position to speak out by voicing strength and taking action who appear more concerned about being politically correct than they are about protecting those they took a constitutional oath to serve.

“In this unique time, our country needs to unite and stand up as leaders and citizens and clearly state that we have had enough, and will no longer tolerate such behavior and acts of evil.  Let there be no mistake, this is not about politics, religion, ethnicity, race or social status, but instead is about our freedom, humanity, way of life and the future of our great nation.

“It is time to stop reacting and instead proactively engage anyone who threatens harm through terrorism or mass killings.  It is time for our national and world leaders to stop worrying about being ‘politically correct’ and start worrying about what needs to be said and done to target, yes I said ‘target’ terrorists.”

Ivey went on to explain that in order for “America to get back to being America” the country needs bold leadership that willing to “say what needs to be said in order to do what needs to be done.”

“So let there be no mistake in what I am about to say … the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Ivey said. “If you are a person who is legally licensed to carry a firearm, now is the time more than ever to realize that you and you alone may very well be the first line of defense for you, your family, and others around you in a terrorist or active shooter based scenario.”

“I am no way suggesting that we as citizens take on a vigilante role. What I am saying is that we need to be mentally and physically prepared to respond to an attack so we can effectively defend and protect ourselves in an emergency,” he said.

To that end, Ivey called on military veterans and “other incredible citizen heros” to confront terrorist when they strike if necessary, and provided several steps the public can take to avoid harm during an attack. As a last resort, “there’s only one other option,” he said, “to fight with every ounce of passion you have”

And the more prepared citizens are for the remote possibility of a terrorist attack, the more effective they’ll be at protecting each other, he said.

“If you are someone who has a concealed carry permit or is interested in obtaining one I invite you to take advantage of our Self Defense Through Tactical Shooting and Decision Making course that is held at our Firing Range on the last Saturday of each month,” Ivey said. “This one of a kind course teaches attendees about tactical positioning, laws relating to Stand Your Ground and self-defense, as well as self-defense through mental preparedness.”

“Please remember that this message is not intended to scare, but instead is intended to prepare everyone for the remote possibility that you find yourself in a violent confrontation. This message is about not waiting to take action!!” he said.