Former cop arrested for trying to bring gun into Magic Kingdom

You don't know whether the gay club was more inviting because it was a gay clu or simply because he knew he was a regular and could get in easier. I don't need the media to tell me what plenty of people that were there have said publicly, that he came in often. There wasn't enough security there to stop him, obviously. His wife said he wanted to attack Disney. He didn't because the gay club was the easier target that didn't have the security Disney has.

Those are facts regardless if the media reported them. If the media says the sky is blue does that automatically mean it isn't? You're trying to dispute facts. It's not working for you.

And I agree that there is only so much any security force can do to stop terrorists. We have a lot of security forces in this country, but the twin towers still fell, as did the Alfred P Murrough building, and part of the pentagon.

Should we just not have any security at all?

Let's just agree to disagree on the Orlando shooter facts. These checkpoints sprang up as knee jerk reactions to try to improve security after terrorist attacks, like 911, Paris, London, etc., not because someone was worried that an ex-cop would carry a gun. As an actual defense against Paris style attacks, yes, you might as well do nothing because it won't work. You just need one suicide bomber to take out the gate to let all the other terrorists in the group come streaming in. It's like guarding a pile of gold bars with a squirt gun.

The benefit of the checkpoints to the parks lies in the fact that a certain segment of the population might be frightened to be in public places after terrorism. These checkpoints serve to calm the fear and get butts in the park because people believe that the are safe. In that sense, they work.

Other than the HWN trip (KK/HW), my recent experiences have been limited to BGT, SWF, and Universal.

Watching reports here, elsewhere online, and TV/internet sources, the biggest change in policies seem to have come as reactions to San Bernadino more than any other incident. The Orlando shooter came after the major decisions had already been made and implemented at the parks that I'm familiar with...

I don't have to 'disagree' about the facts. What I posted was factual. You've posted opinion.

The fact is, Disney security deterred a terrorist attack. Pulse nite club security did not.

There is only one person who can conclusively answer the question of "Was Disney's security directly responsible for the attack to be carried out on a different target." However, we cannot ask them that question since that person is dead.

Or you could listen to his wife. Since he told her.

Or his wife lied or made up the story.

Yeah, the intelligence gathered after is pretty clear on his intentions, and it was reported that Disney had surveillance of the guy. That isn't in dispute. The thing that annoys me is more the fact that the rest of the world continues to treat it like a contentious political issue, while people here are still trying to figure out how to carry on.

The idea that doing nothing is better than doing something with some measurable effectiveness, even if it isn't 100% effectiveness, is not logical.

Where can I get a Flux Capaciter so I can go back to the days when amusement parks didn't have armed guards and metal detectors?

Pete said:

That said, I am very pleased to not have encountered any type of security theater at CP during August. I'm guessing they will probably run it again for Halloweekends.

They were wanding at the front gate of CP yesterday. That was my first time encountering any such checkpoint this year at the park.

I've been wanded every time I've gone this year, at several different gates.

One of the days earlier in the season, there was a younger guy standing at the gates talking very loudly about "Security theater" and how useless it is, he's being violated, etc..

Really, this is all I could think of:

Pete said:....... It is my understanding that the shooter specifically had an issue with gay people. Shooting up Disney's gate was not nearly as inviting a target as a gay night club is if he wanted to target that demographic....

Given the proximity of Disney's Gay days (June 3) and the Pulse shooting (June 12), I think the wife's story on Disney being a potential target holds much water. #jussayin

Disney security didn't prevent a terror attack. It just caused the attacker to change his attack location, which is good for Disney, but not so good for Pulse. If Pulse had better security, he would have attacked someplace else. The point is that Disney security doesn't need to be rock solid to prevent some attacks from occurring there, it just needs to be more solid than other potential targets. Of course, if someone or some group was really intent on targeting Disney, I'm sure they could do some damage there.

Well, he also supposedly also scouted Disney Springs which has no security. No explanation by the authorities on why that wasn't his target. My late father was in intelligence gathering in the European theater in WWII. Had many interesting conversations with him about that. Intell is as much intuition and art as it is scientific method, with a lot of judgement involved in analyzing the data. I'm skeptical that his wife, who had allegations of being an accomplice or suppressing information, would actually be accurate in her testimony instead of saying anything she thought could save herself from further investigation. It is far too simplistic to say that Disney security made him change his mind especially since another Disney property in Disney Springs was wide open. Also Disney has a lot of clout in the area and politically it is much better for Disney if the investigation said a shooting was prevented because the shooter didn't want to deal with security. I'm sure some here think my views are foolish, but I see many holes in the conclusion that Disney security prevented a shooting at Disney.

The real shame here is the fact that anyone is having a conversation about entry security at amusement parks. Terror has changed people's mindset, whether the threat is real or imagined, and it is a tragedy that something like an amusement park can't be innocently enjoyed with shootings and bombings being in the back of people's minds. Terrorism slowly but surely is eroding our sense of well being.

If you think there is no security at Disney Springs, you haven't been there. The visible component alone is pretty obvious. There is a lot more going on behind the scenes than I think anyone gives Disney credit for.

And you're right about terrorism, but only because of what we consider to be terrorism. I can't intellectually call the Pulse shooting terrorism. I don't care what the guy's declarations were, he was a lone nut who hated a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. Is it really different from Sandy Hook or Virginia Tech? And furthermore, your odds of being a victim of violent crime haven't been lower in decades. Being a victim of terrorism is still somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 in 20 million.

That doesn't mean that taking precautions is pointless. Because some actions are more effective than others is also not a reason to do nothing.

That's good to know about Disney Springs and you're right, I've never been there. That kind of makes my point on security theater however. Let's say it is accurate that he didn't hit Disney because of security. Then I'll say it was because of the visible security and behind the scenes stuff. That type of security is meaningful and welcome. It's the wanding or metal detectors at the gates that I think doesn't add much value for security and is mainly for show.

But, Disney's security at the parks, which also deterred him, consists of metal detectors and bag checks.

And besides, who cares if it is mainly for show - it shows that something else could be going on behind the scenes. If they are doing that out front, what else are they doing?

There's much more to Disney's security than metal detectors and bag checks. For one thing, they're watching you. Pretty much all the time. Knowing that Disney has aggressive security measures in place makes me feel safe. Having my man-purse probed with a stick wielded by a low-paid, costumed employee with no legal authority to act if I am indeed trying to bring in a gun does not.

Doesn't CP have their own deputized police force?