Grandma Finds Loaded Gun at the 'Happiest Place on Earth

A woman on a Walt Disney World park ride with her grandson found a loaded gun, officials said Wednesday.

"My grandma found it on her seat," WKMG reported the boy telling a ride attendant, according to the sheriff's report.

Officials said that the woman found the pistol on the Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom. The woman turned over the loaded weapon to a park attendant, who then contacted her manager and authorities.

The gun's owner, Angelo Lista, told authorities he discovered his gun was missing several minutes after leaving the ride, which WKMG reported him saying was "bumpy." He has a concealed weapons permit and also said there was never a bullet in the chamber.

Lista told authorities he didn't know Disney World -- which has the official slogan as "the happiest place on earth" -- didn't allow patrons to bring guns onto the property. He said he thought the security checkpoint at the entrance to the Florida theme park was only so that guards could check bags for bombs or explosives. Patrons do not walk through metal detectors nor are they subject to patdowns.

(Image: WKMG video screenshot)

Disney World prohibits patrons from bringing weapons of any kind on its property. But WKMG pointed out that it couldn't' find any signs on the property expressing that guns were prohibited.

Lista was not arrested for having the gun at Disney. The Orlando Sentinel reported Orange County Sheriff's office saying that private property owners can prohibit open carrying of firearms and order someone leave the premises if policies are violated. But because Lista legally possessed the gun, he will not face any criminal charges.

"It was my mistake, but I wish I would've known more about" the policy, Lista told the Orlando Sentinel.

Watch the report:

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Christine Kendzierski, who was visiting the park with her grandson on Wednesday, told WKMG the weapon making its way into the park was concerning, "especially with all the tragedies that have been going on."

"You never know who could pick that up, there's kids all over the place," Marissa Macedonia, a mother at the park, said according to the station.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Featured image via Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com. 

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