Credit: Ed Aguila, Inside the MagicAt one point in the last 69 years, Disneyland Park sold guns in a shop on Main Street, U.S.A. The Southern California Disney parks now ban firearms and other weapons but recently took a step further in removing violent imagery.
On Tuesday, Inside the Magic reported that an off-duty police officer attempted to sneak his gun into Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, and Downtown Disney. Law enforcement apprehended the guest, who reportedly refused to enter the Disney parks without his firearm.
Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort have long banned guns on their property, so it wasn’t surprising that security denied the man’s entry. Still, another Disney Park guest alleges that security cast members unfairly confiscated one of his belongings because it looked like a weapon.
On August 25, X (formerly Twitter) user @xavierpol posted a photo of his keys with the following caption:
@disneyland security checkpoint didn’t allow me to bring in this tiny gun keychain for the 4th time because it represents a firearm, but it’s ok for the stormtroopers to have pistol blasters walking around.@colionnoir @disneyparks @disney @elonmusk @GLOCKInc#wokemindvirus
@disneyland security checkpoint didn’t allow me to bring in this tiny gun keychain for the 4th time because it represents a firearm, but it’s ok for the stormtroopers to have pistol blasters walking around.
@colionnoir @disneyparks @disney @elonmusk @GLOCKInc #wokemindvirus pic.twitter.com/qgJKhcDfC6
— xavierpol (@xavierpol) August 25, 2024
The Disney Park guest alleged that they attempted to bring in the gun keychain four times, though they didn’t make it clear if security cast members permitted them inside the other three times. They blamed the “woke mind virus” for Disneyland Resort’s decision not to allow even fake guns.
The guest argued that if Stormtroopers can walk around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with full-size blaster “guns,” they should’ve been allowed to enter Disneyland Resort with their keychain.
The Disney parks have removed depictions of firearms from attractions on their property in recent years, including the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort. Though Disney Parks fans are divided on the subject, supporters argue that it’s in poor taste to positively depict firearms amid a gun violence epidemic in the United States.
Although Disneyland Resort’s website doesn’t explicitly ban gun keychains, it states that security has the right to refuse entry to guests carrying “objects or toys that appear to be firearms or weapons.” Guests must submit to security screening to enter the Disney parks, including walking through a metal detector. For a complete list of prohibited items, click here.
Has Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort security ever confiscated one of your personal belongings? Do you feel it was justified? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.