Resorts WDW exempt from gun rights law

[rgoofy]

I am a State Peace officer and my son a Federal Peace Officer. We don't bring weapons into the park. There is no need to. DL security is very happy to provide a locker. Personal gun ownership is a right protected by the second amendment. The right to carry a concealed weapon is a reasonable privilege; subject to regulations. Even though Peace Officers may carry in circumstances where a private citizen cannot, we all must use a little common sense. Besides, when you carry, you must constantly be aware of your weapon. Who wants to spoil the Disney magic that way?
On the other hand, one of the things believed to be considered by terrorists is to open fire on a crowd in Disneyland. The psychological effect would be would be devastating. I hope someone in DL is armed and competent in firearm use. Preferably DL security personel.

[Tom Morrow]

Walt Disney World employee suspended

Disney Employee Suspended After Bringing Gun To Work WFTV9 Friday, a worker told Channel 9 he was suspended when he took the gun to work Friday morning. As he pulled into work, Edwin Sotomayor recorded Sheriff’s Deputies and Disney managers waiting for him. After he refused a car search, managers drove Sotomayor to their offices, questioned him further and then sent him to his normal post. Four hours into his shift, Sotomayor says he was suspended. Disney told Channel 9 he was suspended because he wouldn’t cooperate with their investigation. They also said he could be fired for carrying the gun, which he says is about safety on his ride to work. The worker was well aware that he could end up losing his job when he took the gun to work Friday morning, but said that the principle at stake means enough to him that he was willing to take the risk, especially on the day we celebrate the country and our freedoms.Sotomayor says he’s willing to be the test case for the new law, even if it means losing his job and going to work. complete article

Disney Employee Suspended For Bringing Gun To Work Employee Says Disney Is Violating His Rights WESHtv Edwin Sotomayor is a security guard at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. He said Disney is violating his rights by not allowing him to bring his gun to work. "When it comes down to my personal rights, that’s where I draw the line," Sotomayor said. "I’m ready to be terminated because their stance is zero tolerance, if that’s the case, let it be," Sotomayor said. "They want to control government. They want to control society, society is us." A video shot by Sotomayor on Friday shows Disney bosses and sheriff’s deputies waiting for him. They asked him if they could search his vehicle, and when he refused, he was suspended and banned from the property. "They are breaking the law," Sotomayor said. "I mean policy is one thing, but policies do not rule society, the law does." A spokesman for the union that represents Disney’s security guards said he personally supports Sotomayor’s efforts, but also believes Disney should be able to keep guns off the property if they have a valid exemption. complete article and VIDEO

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[rgoofy]

Well, this is a horse of a different color. If he indeed got fired for lack of cooperating, OK. But why search him in the parking lot unless they intended to bring action against him? I think there is a legitimate right to carry for self protection. That is not the same as carrying a weapon while working. In almost any Federal or State building, carrying a gun can get you arrested. For those who are legally carrying though, the weapon must be surrendered upon arrival, and retrieved when leaving. If this security guard is legally carrying, he should be allowed to locker his weapon as park visitors are; provided he does it on his own time.

[Tom Morrow]

Walt Disney World fires cast member over gun search issue

Disney Fires Employee Over Gun At Work WKMG Local 6 Edwin Sotomayor, a security officer, was terminated for violating company policies and failing to cooperate during an investigation, according to Disney. Orange County sheriff's deputies were called by Disney management to maintain order and to issue a formal trespass warning to Sotomayor. "I feel betrayed," Sotomayor said last week. "Disney is one of the few all-American companies that we have and this is very un-American." complete article

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[Tom Morrow]

Fired cast member files lawsuit

Disney guard fired over gun rule sues to get job back Orlando Sentinel Former Walt Disney World security guard Edwin Sotomayor filed a lawsuit this morning in state Circuit Court in Orlando seeking to challenge Disney's position on employees' guns and to get his job back. Sotomayor, 36, of Kissimmee, was fired Monday from his job as an unarmed, uniformed security officer at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Disney said he refused to cooperate with investigators who wanted to know whether he had brought a gun to work with him last Friday, as he had suggested he would. He did bring a gun, a 45-caliber Springfield, he said, but he would not tell Disney that because he believes he has the right to bring the gun to work and not be subject to a search by Disney. by Scott Powers complete article

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[Ezra]

I can't speak for Disney's employment practices; but where I currently work, one of the things we sign as a condition of employment is we must submit to random searches by security. An employee that refuses to allow a search can be terminated.

Technically this man wasn't fired because he brought the gun because Disney never even saw it: He was fired because he refused to allow Disney to search his car.

If he really wanted the case to be about the new gun law, he should have allowed the search. That way he would have been disciplined for bringing the gun. It sounds like he shot himself in the foot.

[Tom Morrow]

Injunction to give Walt Disney World security guard job back denied

Injunction denied for Disney guard fired after bringing gun to work Orlando Sentinel Orlando Circuit Court Judge Thomas W. Turner declined to give a temporary injunction that would have allowed Edwin Sotomayor to get his Walt Disney World security guard job back while the court tries to decide whether Disney has the right to ban employees from keeping guns locked in their vehicles. Turner scheduled a hearing on a permanent injunction for Oct. 16. by Scott Powers complete article

Submitted by Evouile

[Ezra]

Disney narrows employee gun ban

Disney narrows employee gun ban to property Orlando Sentinel Walt Disney World decided today to narrow its employee gun ban to the actual Walt Disney World property only — and with that move the theme park giant got the blessing of Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum for the controversial policy. Disney announced it is revising its policy, though only slightly. And McCollum indicated he is satisfied with the revision, which lifts the employee gun ban on employee Disney outposts such as the company's branch offices in Celebration but not on the main Walt Disney World property. by Scott Powers complete article

Submitted by Evouile. Edited by Ezra

[Tom Morrow]

Florida Attorney General approves Disney’s gun policy

State OKs Disney’s Gun Policy Central Florida News 13 Walt Disney World's claim that its theme parks and resort are exempt from Florida's new Guns to Work law has the backing of the State Attorney General. Disney issued a new policy Friday that allows guns at about a half dozen more off-site Disney properties, which are under the guidelines of the law. The Florida Attorney General's Office has confirmed to News 13 that they believe the new Disney policy complies with the law. complete article

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