ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A South Florida man said he packed his AR-15 and a handgun with him on a trip to Disney World so that he could protect his family from “civil unrest” in Central Florida, according to an incident report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
A worker at Disney’s Polynesian Resort said he noticed the 43-year-old Palm Bay Gardens man’s tennis bag was particularly heavy to lift when he was loading it onto a luggage cart on Sept. 5. So, according to the incident report, the worker opened it up and discovered the AR-15 inside.
When interviewed by Orange County deputies and resort staff, the man, who Channel 9 is not naming since he is not facing any charges related to the incident, said “he brought the rifle with him for their safety because of the riots and civil unrest going on down south and in the Central Florida area.”
The man also told deputies he brought 3 rifle magazines with 30 rounds each and two Sig Sauer magazines with 10 rounds each.
Deputies said the man had a valid concealed carry permit.
According to the incident report, the man allowed Disney to store the two weapons for the remainder of his family’s stay at the resort.
According to Walt Disney World’s website, 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.
