Disney World Concealed Carry


I have read Gutmacher's book and I can tell you that his interpretation of it is this... You can conceal carry a firearm into an establishment that serves alcohol as long as isn't their primary service.
In other words, if it is a bar it is off limits. If it is a restaurant that has a bar you can carry there but you can not approach or sit at the bar. To say that you can not walk past the bar to get to a restroom is absolutely ridiculous.

Now, as far as concealed carry in Disney World it "MIGHT" be found illegal according to Florida Statute 790.251
specifically, this sub-paragraph:

790.251 Protection of the right to keep and bear arms in motor vehicles for self-defense and other lawful purposes; prohibited acts; duty of public and private employers; immunity from liability; enforcement.—(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles Act of 2008.”
.
.
.
.
(7) EXCEPTIONS.—The prohibitions in subsection (4) do not apply to:(a) Any school property as defined and regulated under s. 790.115.
(b) Any correctional institution regulated under s. 944.47 or chapter 957.
(c) Any property where a nuclear-powered electricity generation facility is located.
(d) Property owned or leased by a public or private employer or the landlord of a public or private employer upon which are conducted substantial activities involving national defense, aerospace, or homeland security.
(e) Property owned or leased by a public or private employer or the landlord of a public or private employer upon which the primary business conducted is the manufacture, use, storage, or transportation of combustible or explosive materials regulated under state or federal law, or property owned or leased by an employer who has obtained a permit required under 18 U.S.C. s. 842 to engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in explosive materials on such property.
(f) A motor vehicle owned, leased, or rented by a public or private employer or the landlord of a public or private employer.
(g) Any other property owned or leased by a public or private employer or the landlord of a public or private employer upon which possession of a firearm or other legal product by a customer, employee, or invitee is prohibited pursuant to any federal law, contract with a federal government entity, or general law of this state.

History.—s. 1, ch. 2008-7.
[SUP]1[/SUP]Note.—Section 15, ch. 2011-119, provides that “[t]he amendments made to ss. 509.144 and 932.701, Florida Statutes, and the creation of s. 901.1503, Florida Statutes, by this act do not affect or impede the provisions of s. 790.251, Florida Statutes, or any other protection or right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

There was an employee that was fired because of this statute. Because Disney World manufactures their own fireworks on-site they were able to terminate his employment and from what I understand there was at least an attempt to prosecute.

I realize this statute is in regards to your right to possess a firearm locked in your vehicle, but I wouldn't want to get caught and be a test case (according to Gutmacher).
 
OK this is getting a tad redicilous... :wacko:

maybe to you it is getting tad redicilous but to FLA CWFL holders it is a very pertinent/germane discussion. feel free not to comment if you think this conversation isn't worthy of your attention
 
I have read Gutmacher's book and I can tell you that his interpretation of it is this... You can conceal carry a firearm into an establishment that serves alcohol as long as isn't their primary service.
In other words, if it is a bar it is off limits. If it is a restaurant that has a bar you can carry there but you can not approach or sit at the bar. To say that you can not walk past the bar to get to a restroom is absolutely ridiculous.
you are correct, only the most anal would be concerned about passing through a bar portion of an establishment while concealed carrying, I only brought it up to highlight the absurdity of how some people interpret the laws
Now, as far as concealed carry in Disney World it "MIGHT" be found illegal according to Florida Statute 790.251
specifically, this sub-paragraph:

790.251 Protection of the right to keep and bear arms in motor vehicles for self-defense and other lawful purposes; prohibited acts; duty of public and private employers; immunity from liability; enforcement.—(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles Act of 2008.”
.

not quite relevant, that statute is aimed at employees of a business or of WDW, not visitors to the property.
 
Sorry again Dale and this isn't meant as a jibe at you, but you can interpret it any way you like and call my interpretation ridiculous if you like. But the fact remains that Gutmacher specifically states that you can't even walk THROUGH the bar portion of whatever establishment you are in. There may not be any case law or precedent on this though so you can be the test case, but as for me I will comply with Gutmachers interpretation for the reasons already stated. Common sense tells me that when the law states you can't be in any portion, that would include walking through that area. And I also know the likelyhood of getting caught just walking through is very low or almost nonexistent, but the law says what it says.
 
Hey guys, new here. Found the forum while poking around the net to learn about Florida's concealed carry laws. I live in CA and do not carry but have no problem with responsible citizens who do. There was an incident today in Disney World:

Link Removed

Short version, a man with a FL permit had a handgun in his back pocket and it fell out on the Dinosaur ride in Animal Kingdom. He did not immediately notice the gun had fallen out and a lady with her grandson found it and handed it in to a cast member. It was loaded but did not have a round in he chamber. After several minutes (not sure how long that is) the man realized it was missing and returned. He claimed to not know about Disney's policy. He was escorted off property for the day but was not banned from future visits and returned the next day.

We are frequent visitors to Disney World so I started searching for info on Florida's carry laws. Most of what I found matches up with the conclusions from most in this thread. But I did have a few questions I was wondering if any here had any opinions on.

1- The article says:

Under Florida law, private landowners such as Disney can limit the open carrying of firearms on property. Disney authorities can order a guest to leave for violating the policy, but if the owner legally possesses the weapon, they cannot press criminal charges.

Is that true? The parts of the law I read didn't mention that.

Also, by leaving the weapon on the ride, was he in violation of Florida law since the gun was no longer concealed? Could Disney have therefore pressed charges if they wished? Would this also apply to any person carrying if anyone sees the weapon, other than in a search?

2- I saw there was a discussion here about this section of the law:

any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption.
I see where his would definitely include a bar for example. But I'm not clear on why this would not include a restaurant that serves alcohol? After all, isn't the entire restaurant licensed to dispense?

Also, what about an outdoor booth that sells alcohol? At Epcot, I know they have Margherita stands for example, and you can walk around freely in the park with your drink. Would the exception only apply right around the booth, and if so, isn't that a very grey area since there is no guideline for distance?

Could Disney be using that angle to give them the right to deny weapons? Or per the article above, do they already have that right as a private business on private property?


I realize that if you carry and keep the weapon concealed they will never know (unless they institute pat downs or metal detectors), but I'm just wondering what the actual law is, or if it's murky in this case.

Lastly, I ask you carry enthusiasts, is there any excuse for what this guy allowed to happen? Like I said, I am fine with responsible citizens legally carrying. But in my view, this guy has shown himself to lack the responsibility that should be required. This could have turned out much worse than it did. When you think about some of the warning signs that Disney has put on their rides, I can easily see someone being clueless enough to think the gun was part of the ride or something. Or worse, a kid picks it up and starts playing with it before anyone notices. Or a kid sticks it in his backpack for later.

Anyway, not trying to step on any toes, just wanting some other opinions. Thanks.
 
They can't press criminal charges but they can still press civil charges, such as trespassing. They have never done so in the past to my knowledge, probably because they don't want the publicity. However, they have in many instances, possibly all, issued lifetime bans to people caught with firearms on their property in violation of the prohibition. This in all probability would allow them the ability to press criminal trespass charges should that guest ever return, certainly far more likely if that guest ever returned carrying a firearm again.
.
A restaurant that serves alcohol in the instance you listed is restricted because alcohol is served (dispensed) in the entire 'portion of the establishment'. An outdoor booth within an establishment cannot use that restriction for an entire establishment because the booth doesn't occupy the entire portion of the establishment, nor does it serve in the entire portion. If that rule were to be so used, an entire city could ban guns because they had one booth selling alcohol somewhere within the city limits that allowed you to walk away with the alcoholic beverage. Some states may make special provisions for such circumstances. For instance, some states have specific carry restrictions in major sports stadiums or arenas. Disney World actually tried to get special consideration in the Florida statutes for carry by their employees but the Florida legislature didn't give it to them, so it's unlikely any special consideration was granted for 'portion of an establishment' restrictions either.
 
Just the other day a guy at Disney left his gun on the dumbo ride. It fell out of his holster. I have a close association with the management at Disney and can tell you this for sure. THEY HAVE A NO GUN POLICY. they do random pat downs and security check. If they catch you with a gun or weapon of any type you will be told to leave, they will call the cops(despite if they can do anything legally) and you will be trespassed from Disney. Sounds like a great way to ruin your vacation. I'm all about carrying my CWP but save the aggrevation for yourself and family and lock it in the safe.
 
Did you hear that Mickey Mouse was going to divorce Minnie Mouse.......

-

-

-

-

-

-

she was f-ing goofy!! :jester:
 
This is an old thread, but I figured I would throw in an update aince I am stuck going to Disney this coming weekend and my wife wanted to make sure of the policy. Disney is still sending the same response when asked about having a firearm at the parks and resorts...

"Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.

It may interest you to know we have a strict policy regarding firearms.
Our policy is that no guns are permitted in our Theme Parks or Resorts.
If a resort guest brings one on property, it must be locked up in the
safe deposit boxes at the front desk, not in a room safe. If guests
visiting our Theme Parks bring in firearms, it must either be left in
their vehicle, or checked in with security when entering the park. Only
on-duty law enforcement officers whose agency has jurisdiction at the
Walt Disney World Resort may carry any weapon."

Figured I would update this with what happened... despite explaining that there was no way that Disney would know if I kept my firearm locked in the hotel room, my wife insisted I followed their process. Confronted with the relatively minor chnace of needing a weapon at a Disney resort vs. my wife strangling me in my sleep, I opted to follow Disney's procedures. Here it is in case anyone is wondering...
We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Kindani Village, I can't say if things are different at the other resorts, but my experience was...
At check in I informed the clerk that I needed to check a firearm. No shock or surprise or attitude from the clerk, just explained they would need to call security who would assist in checking in my weapon. Had to wait about half an hour or so until security showed up, we then went into a room behind the front desk where they had a cabinet with about 10 safe deposit boxes. I filled out a form about my weapon (serial #, make, model, caliber, # of rounds). I then placed it in the box (I kept it locked in the Nanovault that I used to bring it down to Florida) along with my ammunition. It was locked with two keys, I got one and the other was kept at the front desk.
On check out I informed the clerk that I needed to retrieve my weapon, they called security, waited about 15 minutes, we went back to the room, unlocked the box, everything was there, no problems. I signed that I had received my weapon and ammunition back, and I was good to go.
While I was not thrilled with not having my weapon at least it was on the premises, the process of checking it in and out was fairly easy, and my wife didn't kill me for "trying to ruin our vacation".
 
Last edited:
My wife and I are taking our kids to Disney World (Orland) in January. I understand that Disney has a no weapons policy. However, I am wondering if any of you have any real world experience with Disney World. Can you concealed carry there? Do they have posted signs or metal detectors? I plan on taking my gun because I would like to fly with it as I have never done this. I may just lock it in the room when I get there, assuming there are safes. The last thing I need on a family vacation though is a MAJOR HASSLE. Suggestions please!

-PDW

I planned my trip to WDW/Magic Kingdom for yesterday, and, knowing their policy, left my pistol in my room. I was amazed that, when I took the big boat across the lake and then passed thru security, all they did was look in my backpack. I didn't have to empty my pockets. They had no metal detector. They had no one wanding people. I could have carried my 9mm on my hip, and they wouldn't have had a clue! I was rather frustrated--not only that I didn't bring my pistol, but that their security was so lax that any bad guy could get in there with a weapon and wreak havoc at any moment!!
 
I planned my trip to WDW/Magic Kingdom for yesterday, and, knowing their policy, left my pistol in my room. I was amazed that, when I took the big boat across the lake and then passed thru security, all they did was look in my backpack. I didn't have to empty my pockets. They had no metal detector. They had no one wanding people. I could have carried my 9mm on my hip, and they wouldn't have had a clue! I was rather frustrated--not only that I didn't bring my pistol, but that their security was so lax that any bad guy could get in there with a weapon and wreak havoc at any moment!!

you could have carried it but how disappointed would your kids have been if you inadvertently exposed it and then got thrown out of not only the park but off of the property?
 
you could have carried it but how disappointed would your kids have been if you inadvertently exposed it and then got thrown out of not only the park but off of the property?

If I ever had kids, they would be raised to understand that daddy being able to carry a gun is more important than hanging out with goofy. The last thing I could ever want is for us to be taken out by a cell of tangos because the Magic Kingdom forbade me from carrying my arsenal.
 
you could have carried it but how disappointed would your kids have been if you inadvertently exposed it and then got thrown out of not only the park but off of the property?

We would have been disappointed at that, but we would have been even more disappointed if a crazy person who was able to sneak in a gun or bomb had killed or severely injured any one (or more) of us!
 

New Threads

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
49,542
Messages
611,255
Members
74,961
Latest member
Shodan
Back
Top