Posted on 12/10/2007 5:35:18 PM PST by MotleyGirl70
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Channel 9 was the only station there as a 63-year-old grandmother was released from the Orange County jail Monday morning. Mary Ann Richardson of Pennsylvania was arrested for trying to take a loaded handgun into a Disney theme park.
Richardson told Eyewitness News it was all a misunderstanding and she just forgot the gun was in her purse. Eyewitness News checked and it was Richardson's first run in with the law.
At home in Pennsylvania, neighbors know Richardson as a small town community activist. Monday morning, the 63-year-old walked out of the Orange County jail holding the same purse she tried to take inside a Disney theme park.
Richardson was headed inside Magic Kingdom with her daughter and three young grandchildren Sunday when security screeners found a loaded .32-caliber handgun at the bottom of her bag, along with a pocket knife and a pair of scissors.
"I forget a lot of things. That might sound silly and stupid, but I did not remember that the pistol was down there," Richardson told Eyewitness News after her released.
Other Disney World vacationers said they're not buying Richardson's story.
"I would know if there was a gun in mine. I know everything that's in my purse. So I hope the law handles her in a good way so she'll think twice before she does something like that again," a Disney visitor told Eyewitness News.
Richardson doesn't have a permit to carry the gun, but said she carries it for protection back home and she never had plans to hurt or scare anyone at the park.
"There was never any intent to malicious behavior or criminal behavior," she said.
Channel 9 learned Richardson is a community activist in a small town where she lives near Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 2001, she helped get an old battery plant cleaned up that's since been shut down. But now she's been arrested for a crime that could land her in jail for a while.
"I apologize sincerely and deeply and I apologize for embarrassing my daughter and her family," a tearful Richardson said.
Richardson doesn't have a court date set for the concealed weapon charge. Monday morning, she was trying to figure out how to get back home to Pennsylvania. She couldn't get in touch with her daughter, who Richardson drove to Orlando with.
“Ending a sentence with a preposition” is what that is an example of.
And (to quote Churchill) that’s the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put!
Any person who commits the crime of carrying a concealed handgun and ammunition for that
handgun on his/her person or in his/her vehicle may be subject to a felony enhancement if the
handgun is not on file (registered) in the Department of Justice’s Automated Firearms System.
(Penal Code § 12025.)
I don't know where you got your information, but it is incorrect.
If a business posts that sign and you enter and they somehow know you are carrying, all they can do is ask you to leave. The only places you cannot legally carry are at those places that have "official" signs--like schools, bars, court houses, etc.
I always thought Goofy was a prevert...
As we are in line to enter the park I noticed a security guard was checking handbags. I casually asked my wife, "Are you packing?"
"Oh crud! I forgot it was in my purse", she said.
I was a little nervous as we were next. The guard opened her bag and there was my wife's little Tomcat laying right on top where she could easily get to it. He looked at her. He looked at me. He then handed her bag back and said, "Enjoy yourselves!"
I couldn't believe it! I mean, I expected it to cause a scene if nothing else, but I wasn't really worried about getting into trouble as she has a CCW.
But as it turned out, we really didn't need to worry.
Evil grandmother! We know some of those!
Found this for Florida:
790.01 Carrying concealed weapons.—
(1) Except as provided in subsection (4), a person who carries a concealed weapon or electric weapon or device on or about his or her person commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(2) A person who carries a concealed firearm on or about his or her person commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(3) This section does not apply to a person licensed to carry a concealed weapon or a concealed firearm pursuant to the provisions of s. 790.06.
I think we need to get this changed for first offenses.
§ 30.06. TRESPASS BY HOLDER OF LICENSE TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUN. (a) A license holder commits an offense if the license holder: (1) carries a handgun under the authority of Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, on property of another without effective consent; and (2) received notice that: (A) entry on the property by a license holder with a concealed handgun was forbidden; or (B) remaining on the property with a concealed handgun was forbidden and failed to depart. (b) For purposes of this section, a person receives notice if the owner of the property or someone with apparent authority to act for the owner provides notice to the person by oral or written communication.
Trespass is a crimianl offense in Texas.
Btw, I was wrong, it’s not a felony. It’s a class A misdemeanor so the penalty is limited to a $4,000 fine and 1 year in jail. Still nothing I’d want to face.
My brother and sister-in-law were stuck in the ride for over an hour when the ride mechanism broke down. Of course the music never stopped. When they came out, my sweet, laid-back sister-in-law had a murderous expression on her face, and she said, “If I ever hear that song again, I’m gonna shoot somebody!”
“Doesn’t Florida allow for open carry as well?”
Not that I know of.
They were probably making sure you were not sneaking in food/candy. Not buying the overpriced fare might have been their bigger concern.
Therein lies the problem, allowing the suits to require asking permission to exercise your rights. As well as the scum at disny calling in the troops to lock her up is a bit over the top...
Accusations of “this big company covering up that...” are far too prevalent and do not seem to pan out all that reliably.
It’s virtually impossible to cover up much of anything in this day and age.
Too much access to information, and Disney has too many enemies that would try to undermine it with these kinds of events if they are true and happen at a rate greater than any large business.
Any number of people have a relative with horror stories about working at one place or another. Got anything concrete?
Either she's the only woman in the world to be able to make this claim, or she's lying. Jimmy Hoffa is hiding in the bottom of my wife's purse...
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed". Sounds pretty good to me and the application process is easier.
There are more security people at Disney than you would ever imagine. Also, nobody is going to be sneaking into the parks either, unless they take out the elecrified and motion sensored fences surrounding each park. Keeping the parks gun free, and inspecting everytthing coming in, and having the alert plainclothed security they have, keeps the place much safer than if it were wide open to carrying concealed, imo.
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