Another day, another criminal with a long rap sheet almost commits mass murder in America. Michael Rodrigues, a 41-year-old repeat felon, was caught red-handed Tuesday morning at Palm Beach International Airport with a loaded AR-15 rifle and multiple knives. Thank God for alert airport workers who spotted this monster lurking in a restricted area.
This wasn’t some random incident. Deputies found Rodrigues getting dressed outside his rental car like he was preparing for war. Inside the vehicle, they discovered a fully loaded AR-15, extra magazines, and a machete hidden under a blanket.
Here’s what makes every American’s blood boil. This career criminal has been arrested over and over for more than a decade. His rap sheet includes burglary, grand theft auto, drug crimes, and resisting arrest. Yet somehow he was walking free on our streets.
Get this – Rodrigues was arrested just four months ago for battery by strangulation. But our broken justice system released him under some joke of a supervised court program. How’s that supervision working out for public safety now.
The man is a convicted felon who legally cannot own firearms. But criminals don’t care about gun laws, do they. While law-abiding citizens jump through hoops to exercise their Second Amendment rights, thugs like Rodrigues get weapons anyway.
Our brave law enforcement officers may have saved countless innocent lives that day. Without their quick response and thorough investigation, families could have been destroyed by another senseless act of violence. These heroes deserve our gratitude and respect.
This near-tragedy shows exactly what’s wrong with America’s criminal justice system today. Soft-on-crime policies keep dangerous predators on the streets instead of behind bars where they belong. How many more wake-up calls do we need.
Every American should be asking tough questions right now. Why was this repeat offender free to terrorize innocent people. When will our leaders finally put public safety first instead of coddling criminals.
