A guest entering a park at Disney World in Orlando, Florida was caught bringing in a loaded handgun.
On May 28, a 44-year-old woman from Miami was vacationing at Walt Disney World with her family when she got into a fight with her husband, who decided to bring his 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun on their trip, as said in an Orange County Sheriff’s incident report obtained by Walt Disney World News Today. That same gun would end up getting her in a lot of trouble with Disney security.
Heading to Hollywood Studios with a cooler and a stroller, excited about their day, their trip to the park came to an early end when she set off Disney’s security detectors. These detectors are at every park for the safety of the guests and cast members. When security checked her bag, the gun was found in the left pocket with 12 rounds in it.
When questioned by authorities, the woman said she didn’t know she had the gun with her as she felt “embarrassed about the situation.” She also said that she didn’t like that her husband had a gun in the first place. The woman has been banned from Disney property.
The woman spoke with WDW News Today, saying that the incident happened at the start of their trip.
“I wish I could talk about it, it’s been stressful,” she said.
She hasn’t been charged with a crime, however, the sheriff’s office did forward it to the state attorney’s office in the belief that there was “probable cause” that she was carrying a “concealed firearm” to the park.
Disney World has a strict policy regarding bringing firearms, weapons or ammunition into the park as they are prohibited. However, the popular vacation spot for families and people of all ages has seen an increase in concealed firearms since the beginning of the pandemic.
In records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, 20 people have been arrested on gun charges at Disney World in 2020. In 2016, there were only four arrests. This month, a man was caught trying to enter Disney Springs with a gun and a bag of ammunition.
In the state of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has spoken about a “constitutional carry” law that will allow people that have legal firearms to carry their weapon with them either hidden or in plain sight almost anywhere. However, Disney World is private property and the company has a say in what can and cannot be brought into its theme parks and resorts.
“As a whole across the United States, we don’t want any firearms on our premises in any of our parks. … And I’m sure that our association will be taking a position and lobbying against this wherever that may occur,” Daniel Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services said.
Newsweek reached out to Disney for comment.
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