Happiest Place On Earth Making Things Sad For Its Employees

Florida's new community safety law allowing employees to protect themselves by bringing their guns to work with them has Disney World in a tizzy. And employees at the giant amusement complex are fuming.

There is a brief clause in the new law that exempts places of employment that have explosives permits. The people at Disney are using this obscure language -- which never had the Orlando-area facility in mind -- to bar employees from leaving their personal protection sidearms in their automobiles when they drive to work.

From WKMG-TV:

"Before the law went into effect this week, Walt Disney World e-mailed its employees and said because it stores huge amounts of fireworks on the property, they are exempt.The e-mail said the company does not have to let workers with concealed weapons keep the guns locked in their cars, Local 6 reported."

Lawmakers who pushed for the citizen safety legislation are incensed, saying they never intended for Disney, Florida's largest employer, to be able to exempt itself from the new law. The state attorney general is expected to be asked to force DisneyWorld to comply with the statute.

From what I have read and heard of Florida firearms laws, Disney has played havoc with its employees Second Amendment rights.

Sadly, the "Happiest Place On Earth" is showing that when it comes to employee protection, it is more of a Maleficent, Ursula, Cruella, Captain Hook, Stromboli, Yzma, Madame Medusa, Shere Khan and Gaston -- all wrapped into one.

Here is a challenge to TRL readers: State Rep. Audrey Gibson of Jacksonville says she knows of nothing positive that has come from people showing up to work with a gun. Who will please enlighten Ms. Gibson with some concrete examples? Drop them into the "comments" section at your leisure.

For me, Disney's refusal to comply with state law is so much Mouse droppings. Firearms won't be brought into the park itself, just left locked in automobiles. This fear is likely is being driven by corporate attorneys and insurance companies, rather than rational thought.