SWAT team called to Disney, person of suspicion

[Coffee66]

I happen to agree with you.
I'd never carry in locations like that. In fact, I usually let my guard down more in Disney than I do at any other time, probably a bad idea, but that's how I feel.
That doesn't change the fact that if someone did have a gun (no evidence of that), it's quite possible that no laws were broken and the swat team and helicopters were way over the top.
I live in Connecticut, an insanely liberal state with a population of 3.5 million residents. People with Concealed Carry Permits number more than 300,000. Ignoring rounding errors nearly 1 in 10 people you pass in the supermarket can legally have a gun on their person. If the swat team was called out every time one of them reached for the oatmeal and their jacket opened up a bit...
Lets have some perspective.

Maybe no laws were broken but in today's world, people are jittery. God Bless concealed carry, but Disney and law enforcement were wonderful. I'm glad for all that serve and protect. I have a family who serves in law enforcement in all levels and I love all that protect. Never can go overboard in this endeavor. By the way I like your comments. Even thou we differ slightly. Take care my friend.

 

[extreme8]

I have several friends and family who are LEO's.
I absolutely think they deserve all the respect we can give them and I'm thankful for the work they do.
Trust me, I'm the farthest thing from a cop hater you'll ever meet.
I can appreciate your viewpoint but I just think about the officers time and the money spent because someone "thought" they saw a gun that may have been legal to start with.
Send a couple of deputies to investigate, "excuse me sir, can we talk to you..."

 

[AggieMara]

I'd rather have an overreaction than an under reaction. I'm sure everyone can appreciate the trouble that one determined person with a gun can cause at a place like Disney. I'll give Orlando area law enforcement wide discretion when responding to these types of calls. Have we forgot the Pulse nightclub in 2016?

Conceal carrying a firearm is a lawful activity and not a crime. The response was an overreaction.

 

[dclpluto]

That's good. But still scary for the people that had to be evacuated.

why would it be scary? Frustrated yes that it’s taking from your vacation but scary no.

 

[Darklord77]

Conceal carrying a firearm is a lawful activity and not a crime. The response was an overreaction.

No, carrying a concealed firearm is not a blanket lawful activity. A license is needed. Further, a property owner can restrict the carry of firearms on their property.

Straight from Disney:
"Guests are not permitted to have firearms, ammunition, knives or weapons of any kind at or in Disney Resort Hotels and Disney Vacation Club Resorts, including in hotel rooms, units, vacation home villas and general public areas within the hotels and resorts."

 

[Coffee66]

Conceal carrying a firearm is a lawful activity and not a crime. The response was an overreaction.

Oh brother. Your on Disney property and firearms not allowed. No overreaction. God Bless law enforcement and Disney for doing a wonderful job.

 

[Darklord77]

So essentially Orange County sent a SWAT team, helicopters, support teams, and initiated a lock down to enforce one of Disney's policies (depending on whether or not the "gunman" was one of the more than 7 million* people legally licensed to carry a gun in Florida).

There was no mention of a SWAT team responding in any of the reputable news outlets. Orange County S.O. made no mention of it either. The pictures I saw on Twitter showed regular marked police cars and no special purpose vehicles that indicated a SWAT team was present.

 

[mshanson3121]

why would it be scary? Frustrated yes that it’s taking from your vacation but scary no.

Um, for many normal people, to have the SWAT (or even just police) team come in and put your resort on lock down, and then relocate you, can be a scary thing. It's not like they do that for minor reasons - typically only for bomb/shooting threats. Which again, most normal people find scary. Awesome that you're immune to such things, but I doubt you represent the norm.

 

[cranbiz]

The issue here is while if asked, Disney says no firearms on property, it's not posted anywhere. So, unless you ask them in advance, a lawful person can come on site and be unaware of Disney's policy.

Then it's only a simple trespass if the owner doesn't comply with Disney's wishes. FL law also allows a permitted person to secure a firearm in their vehicle if concealed carry is not allowed by the property owner. Even Disney will allow a concealed carry holder to secure their firearm in the main resort safe.

So, it was a complete over reaction on both the reporting guest and the OCSO. Have an officer approach the man and ask a few questions. SWAT and a helo, yeah that's an over reaction.

Let me also point out that according to Disney, knives are also not allowed. That includes your swiss army knife, Buck knife, etc. How many here adhere to that policy at your resort?

 

[AggieMara]

Of course it's not a blanket lawful activity. If a person has a conceal carry license, which is probably case since there was no mention of arrest in this case, it means that they have had a background check, have no felony convictions, no misdemeanor domestic violence convictions, have not been adjudicated mentally incompetent, have taken a firearms safety course, etc. It means they are a safe individual.

The mere lawful possession of a firearm (in holster and properly concealed) is not a crime. The mere lawful possession of a firearm on private property where property owner chooses to prohibit firearms (Disney, Buffalo Wild Wings, Spectrum, etc.) is NOT a crime. The property owner can only trespass you (after politely asking you to leave and you don't leave), wherein the LEO gives the lawful firearm owner/possessor a citation. If you return to the property with your firm, even in all other circumstances you are still in lawful possession, you can then get cited for felony trespass.

Finally, that prohibit by Disney does not have the force of law. Violating that in and of itself does not mean you committed a crime. It means you violated Disney rules.

 

[AggieMara]

Oh brother. Your on Disney property and firearms not allowed. No overreaction. God Bless law enforcement and Disney for doing a wonderful job.

Oh, boy. Disney rules are not laws. No laws were broken. Locking down a resort is overreaction if that is what indeed happened. Someone lawfully conceal carrying is no big deal. Please see my other post.

 

[Coffee66]

Oh, boy. Disney rules are not laws. No laws were broken. Locking down a resort is overreaction if that is what indeed happened. Someone lawfully conceal carrying is no big deal. Please see my other post.

You can't carry a firearm on Disney property. It must be locked in your car or Disney safe ...not in your room safe. Disney can make rules on property it owns.

 

[cranbiz]

You can't carry a firearm on Disney property. It must be locked in your car or Disney safe ...not in your room safe. Disney can make rules on property it owns.

Yes, they can make the rules and they have. What you so far, fail to acknowledge is that the property is NOT posted. Why isn't it? My guess is they don't want to offend the masses. If asked, they will tell you their policy, that's not the same as publicly posting the property rules.

Post it everywhere so that anyone can see it and law abiding people won't usually violate the policy.

100's of millions of guests go to Disney each year. Of that are probably millions of concealed carry permit holders (of which can have a firearm on property as long as it's secured in their vehicle per FL law). There are almost no issues and the few you do hear about are simply due to the lack of public knowledge.

They also state in that not so public policy that no knives are allowed either. I assure you that there are more knives carried on property than firearms.

 

[Coffee66]

Yes, they can make the rules and they have. What you so far, fail to acknowledge is that the property is NOT posted. Why isn't it? My guess is they don't want to offend the masses. If asked, they will tell you their policy, that's not the same as publicly posting the property rules.

Post it everywhere so that anyone can see it and law abiding people won't usually violate the policy.

100's of millions of guests go to Disney each year. Of that are probably millions of concealed carry permit holders (of which can have a firearm on property as long as it's secured in their vehicle per FL law). There are almost no issues and the few you do hear about are simply due to the lack of public knowledge.

They also state in that not so public policy that no knives are allowed either. I assure you that there are more knives carried on property than firearms.

I support the carrying of firearms but one can't be playing with a full deck when they carry it on resort property. I'm done. Thank you all.

 

[Moliphino]

Yes, they can make the rules and they have. What you so far, fail to acknowledge is that the property is NOT posted. Why isn't it? My guess is they don't want to offend the masses. If asked, they will tell you their policy, that's not the same as publicly posting the property rules.

Post it everywhere so that anyone can see it and law abiding people won't usually violate the policy.

100's of millions of guests go to Disney each year. Of that are probably millions of concealed carry permit holders (of which can have a firearm on property as long as it's secured in their vehicle per FL law). There are almost no issues and the few you do hear about are simply due to the lack of public knowledge.

They also state in that not so public policy that no knives are allowed either. I assure you that there are more knives carried on property than firearms.

It is posted publicly on their website:

Walt Disney World Resort Property Rules

 

[cranbiz]

It is posted publicly on their website:

Walt Disney World Resort Property Rules

Not good enough. It needs to be publicly posted ON PROPERTY. not everyone goes to their website, nor does everyone call or write them. A lot of guests just go, a lot will book a trip thru a travel agent and a lot will just call CRO and book a trip and an agent at CRO won't volunteer that info. They only will say something if asked and that usually doesn't happen.

 

[cranbiz]

I support the carrying of firearms but one can't be playing with a full deck when they carry it on resort property. I'm done. Thank you all.

Then you don't support carrying firearms.

I don't agree with their policy but respect their right to make the policy. I don't think any responsible person would carry in a Theme Park but at DS or a resort, I don't see the problem.

You still haven't commented on the prohibition of knives? Is someone not playing with a full deck if they carry a knife on property? That's contrary to their rules.

 

[AggieMara]

Yes, they can make the rules and they have. What you so far, fail to acknowledge is that the property is NOT posted. Why isn't it? My guess is they don't want to offend the masses. If asked, they will tell you their policy, that's not the same as publicly posting the property rules.

Post it everywhere so that anyone can see it and law abiding people won't usually violate the policy.

100's of millions of guests go to Disney each year. Of that are probably millions of concealed carry permit holders (of which can have a firearm on property as long as it's secured in their vehicle per FL law). There are almost no issues and the few you do hear about are simply due to the lack of public knowledge.

They also state in that not so public policy that no knives are allowed either. I assure you that there are more knives carried on property than firearms.

And, even if they have it posted everywhere, in the State of Florida a posted "no firearms sign" does not make it a law, a criminal offense. You can be asked to leave the property or lock it in your vehicle. If you don't, the private property rights of Disney trump and you then get "trespassed." If you return armed after you have been trespassed, you have committed a felony trespass and THEN you can get arrested.

Most lawful gun owners also respect the rights of private property owners as they are usually big constitutionalists and will respect the private property owner wishes. Some are such strong supporters of the 2nd Amendment that they don't even go to Disney or anywhere that chooses to restrict private gun ownership. I love Disney. I would not carry in a park for safety reasons with too many kids around, the likelihood of dropping it, clothing could get tangled, ride equipment could interfere, and also knowing they have huge security. However, I don't agree with their policy disallowing lawful conceal carry in a hotel room.

Any how, back to the issue. People should not be concerned if someone is conceal carrying. If they are doing it right, you wouldn't know anyhow. People who obtain a permit to conceal carry are more likely to be an upstanding member of society and not a criminal element. Mere lawful possession is not a crime - Brandishing it is and pointing it at someone is if there in no imminent threat to their life. Police can not arrest just because your lawfully carrying. People's unfounded fears propagated by the media is not grounds to go overboard.

The proper response to a call would be to send a couple of police cars out to follow up not SWAT or locking down a resort. I love and appreciate law enforcement; however, Orange County is known to be on the anti-gun side unlike my favorite sheriff, the Brevard County Sheriff, Wayne Ivey.

 

[Alicefan]

Um, for many normal people, to have the SWAT (or even just police) team come in and put your resort on lock down, and then relocate you, can be a scary thing. It's not like they do that for minor reasons - typically only for bomb/shooting threats. Which again, most normal people find scary. Awesome that you're immune to such things, but I doubt you represent the norm.

I agree. And the fact that Disney won't tell you what is going on while they're doing it definitely makes it scary. You're at WDW you're not expecting anything like this so yeah...a little scary especially if you have your kids with you and you're left clueless.

 

[Darklord77]

The proper response to a call would be to send a couple of police cars out to follow up not SWAT or locking down a resort. I love and appreciate law enforcement; however, Orange County is known to be on the anti-gun side unlike my favorite sheriff, the Brevard County Sheriff, Wayne Ivey.

So, it was a complete over reaction on both the reporting guest and the OCSO. Have an officer approach the man and ask a few questions. SWAT and a helo, yeah that's an over reaction.

I highly doubt you know the "proper response" to these calls. No one on this board evens knows the exact complaint made to the police. We are just going on the general information that someone with a possible concealed firearm was seen at a resort. Again, there is no mention of a SWAT team responding in any of the reputable news sources or from the Orange County S.O. All the vehicles in the pictures are normal patrol vehicles and not special purpose SWAT vehicles. A witness mentioned something about SWAT and everyone is taking that as a fact now. #fakenews. Normal patrol officers are now armed with rifles, rifle-rated ballistic outer vests, ballistic shields, etc. Unfortunately its a product of the times we live in now. I had no idea we have so many police response experts commenting on this board.

I was a police officer for a large metro agency for almost 25 years. 17 of those years as a supervisor and shift commander. I think I have a good idea what a "proper response" is. The answer: no response is completely correct and there is no cookie-cutter response for calls like these. I know the incorrect response would be to have "an officer approach the man and ask a few questions."