Guest Arrested, Charged With Felony After Gun Found In His Backpack At Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World is a place where guests attempt to escape their problems and forget about the outside world all around them. With so many people going in and out of the parks and resorts, that is virtually impossible. That being said, some everyday issues do exist and just last week, a man was arrested and charged with a felony after Disney security found a concealed gun in his backpack at the bag check station.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, 29-year-old Terry Bruce of Daytona Beach, Florida, was arrested last week at the Transportation & Ticket Center. Bruce had parked there to head to Magic Kingdom when he went through the bag check location, as every other guest does upon entry into parks.
Upon handing over his bag to Disney security personnel, it was checked through and security found the 9mm handgun in a holster along with two loaded ammo magazines. At this point, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office stepped in and took over the situation.
A spokesperson for Disney stated that the situation was “a law enforcement matter,” and that is why security turned things over to them as soon as the gun was found. Bruce was charged with a third-degree felony for carrying a concealed firearm.
The guest allegedly did not have a license to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Florida.
Disney World security finds gun; Daytona man charged https://t.co/UvsvbOQxhk pic.twitter.com/6pYZJDt7YU
— Orlando Sentinel (@orlandosentinel) May 13, 2019
Bruce admitted his fault in forgetting that that gun was in his possession as he did not purposely try to bring it into Magic Kingdom.
“It was an honest mistake,” he said. “I completely forgot the firearm was in my bag.”
Bruce went on to say that he usually kept the gun in the trunk or glove compartment of the vehicle he was driving around in. This past week, he and his girlfriend kept switching vehicles, as they weren’t sure which one they were going to take to Walt Disney World, so, he put the weapon in his backpack.
On the official website of Walt Disney World, the company states that “firearms, ammunition, knives and weapons of any kind are prohibited.” The list of prohibited items even states that “objects or toys that appear to be firearms or weapons” are not allowed into the parks or on Disney property.
Security has tightened up at Walt Disney World over the last few years due to a number of incidents that have happened around the world. Security is much tighter and the vacation destination is also working on advancements and better flow to its bag check areas at all of its theme parks.
