MICKEY MAUSER

They’re Going to Disney World—and Bringing Guns

One man checked in with an AR-15 and a 9mm handgun, explaining that he needed to protect his family from BLM protesters.

In 2016, four people were arrested for carrying concealed weapons at Disney World. In 2020, at least 20 people were arrested for visiting the happiest place on earth while armed. And the 2021 numbers are already on pace to shatter those figures: Through mid-April, police have already arrested at least 14 people at Disney for toting guns. That’s according to an Orlando Sentinel review of sheriff’s reports the newspaper obtained through a public records request. In one instance, a South Florida man checked into the Polynesian Village Resort with an AR-15 rifle and a 9mm handgun in his luggage, explaining that he brought them along to protect his wife and two kids from Black Lives Matter protesters, according to a sheriff’s incident report. However, he had a valid concealed carry permit and was not arrested. Disney reportedly stored the man’s weapons in a safe for the duration of the family’s stay.