Man Brings Gun to Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Not to Hunt

Gun owner said pistol slipped out of his back pocket on bumpy Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom.

The discovery of a gun aboard a ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom has raised questions about what park security does to keep firearms from slipping inside and whether its no-weapons policy for visitors is clear.

A grandmother handed a Cobra .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol to a park attendant Sunday after getting off the Dinosaur ride. "My grandma found it in her seat," her young grandson told park security.

Minutes later, an apologetic Angelo Lista returned to claim the firearm, which was loaded with five hollow-point bullets — but none was in the chamber. He told the Sentinel it had fallen out of his buttoned back pocket during the bumpy ride. He was escorted out of the theme park.

He returned to the parks the next day without the gun.

Lista, 44 of Royal Palm Beach said he had no idea Disney prohibited guns on its property, raising questions about whether the company's restrictions on firearms are explicit enough.

Disney spokeswoman Kathleen Prihoda said in a statement Wednesday that the company's policy is no guns are permitted. The company's website says "weapons of any kind" are not allowed on Disney property.

Disney officials would not say whether there are posted signs on property spelling out their restrictions. Prihoda would not say how often security intercepts a firearm brought into the parks or what happens when a gun owner is found to have one on property. She wouldn't discuss any security measures.

The incident may not indicate a broader safety gap, said Dr. Abraham Pizam, dean of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida.

"Does it happen? Yes, it does. Does it happen frequently? Absolutely not," Pizam said. "Security is one of the issues that if it works, everyone takes it for granted. But it if doesn't work, everyone is a critic."

Thousands of people are free to walk through the parks' front turnstiles uninhibited unless they are carrying bags. Disney employees inspect and feel the bags for anything on the restricted list. There are no metal detectors at the entrances, and guests are rarely searched.

Lista usually stores the gun in his car's glove compartment, but on this occasion, he forgot and realized he had the weapon when he was sitting on the tram to go inside the park, he said.

"It was my mistake, but I wish I would've known more about" the policy, Lista said.

Lista said officials told him that if he forgot in the future, he could notify a security officer, who would point him to a locker on property to store the gun. But officials did not confirm this or acknowledge existence of the lockers.

Orange County deputy sheriffs said Lista had a valid Florida concealed-weapons permit. 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.

The story about the weapon at Animal Kingdom had gun owners reacting on the Internet. On Robert Farago's The Truth About Guns blog, gun owners said that, although they carry their firearms everywhere, most respect private-property rights and leave their guns behind. Others said they avoid any private businesses where they can't bring their guns.

But for some who don't carry firearms, the incident was startling.

"Like other people, when I go to Walt Disney World I feel like I'm entering a bubble of safety and I feel secure, but I guess this took me out of my bubble for a moment," said blogger Shelley Caran, who visits the parks several times a week and writes about her experiences at onthegoinmco.com.

Scarlett Titton said she was not surprised by the gun appearance but hopes the theme parks respond with a more robust security protocol.

"I generally believe no one comes to Disney to cause a problem," said Titton, who does research for the Touring Plans travel blog and visits the theme park nearly every day.

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