The Disney World Security Guard who was fired as part of an investigation into whether or not he possessed a firearm in his vehicle has fired a wrongful termination lawsuit against Disney. Edwin Sotomayor is seeking to have his job reinstated with all his previous benefits and the trespass warning against him dropped.
The crux of the matter is a new “bring your guns to work” law signed into law by the Governor of Florida. It is supposed to protect an employee’s right to carry a firearm in their car if they are licensed to do so. Disney claims an exemption written into the law for employers that deal with explosives (aka fireworks) applies to every square inch of it’s Walt Disney World themepark and resorts. Sotomayor intentionally provoked the lawsuit to claim that Disney is overreaching in their interpretation of the exemption.
Florida tends to be very pro-gun and courts have backed the legislature’s attempt to protect gun owners when using them in self-defense (a very liberal definition of self-defense too). Now the courts will get the chance to weigh in on this law. Either way Sotomayor has a long road ahead of him as Disney is not likely to back down and will certainly appeal if they lose in the lower courts.