Via DisDining.com
Lately, it seems that visiting the Walt Disney World Resort is more different now than it ever has been, but not always in the best way. Yes, there are a ton of great new things to experience, like Disney Enchantment at the Magic Kingdom, the Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT, and Disney World’s newest roller coaster — Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. However, there also seems to be a record number of fights resulting in bans, and — on a scarier note — more and more people appear to be bringing guns onto the property.
The Orange County Sheriff’s office recently released an incident report in which they said that a gun was found in a backpack belonging to a 15-year-old Guest who was trying to get into Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Park. Disney security inspects every bag before Guests can enter the Park, and the gun was found underneath candy bars and juice boxes.
Fox35 Orlando shared more information on the startling discovery:
Security spoke to the boy’s mother, who was with him, and she explained that they were visiting from Alabama and that his sister had given him the bag for him to use during the trip to Florida.
The mother and her son stated they did not know the gun was in the backpack and the teen said he only brought it so he could bring snacks to Animal Kingdom, the report states.
When asked if her daughter owned a gun, she said her daughter has had one for about two years. During the investigation, deputies say it was discovered that the gun – which was a black Lorcin with a pink grip – was stolen from a woman’s vehicle in Alabama in May.
Now, it should be noted that Florida is a concealed carry state — which means that people can carry a firearm on their person if they have the proper permit. However, Walt Disney World Resort is private property, making its own rules. Firearms — and weapons of any kind — are strictly prohibited from Disney World’s four theme parks, two Water Parks, Resort hotels, and Disney Springs. If you are caught with a weapon, you will be taken off the property and most likely banned.
Despite the fact that the teen and his mother claimed that they didn’t know the gun was there, and it didn’t belong to them, charges will be pressed. Disney also issued a trespass warning, meaning they have been banned from Disney property. Even though a ban has been issued, the mother and son can appeal the decision and Disney could decide to reverse their decision.
