The Magic Kingdom Scofflaw

[My post about the toy gun ban in NY made me recall this article, which I wrote 5 years ago. Chances are, most WarOnGuns visitors haven't seen it.]

It doesn't seem out of line to ask what the hell Disney CEO Michael Eisner is doing selling toy guns in the first place. After all, in his role as advisory panelist for the anti-self-defense organization CeaseFire (a group with the stated goal of promoting "handgun-free homes and families" through TV commercials and print ads with the message that lawful gun ownership poses a threat to society), you'd think he'd do everything in his power to teach children that guns are not playthings. Assuming, of course, that he places principle ahead of profits.

It also seems fitting to ask why, given his affinity for promoting hysterical and liberty-destroying gun control laws that the rest of us must abide by, Mr. Eisner's flagship theme park is flouting California law and selling ILLEGAL toy guns. And why the authorities tasked with enforcing such things are doing nothing about it.

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom! As we pass through the gates of Frontier Land, we see one of the more popular attractions, as evidenced by another interminable Disneyland queue, the Shootin' Exposition.

"There's nothing like a little target practice 'on the range' to make you feel like a real Old West sharpshooter," advises the promotional literature.

"Davy Crockett would be proud," it continues. How Mr. Eisner's citizen disarmament colleagues over at CeaseFire would feel about it remains unsaid.

"*Additional charge," the fine print reminds Mr. Eisner's "guests."

And when you're done plinking targets, you can saunter on over to the Pioneer Mercantile, "a gold mine for young pioneers, this shop is filled with goodies inspired by American folk heroes."

Like guns. Toy guns. Illegal toy guns.

Racks of 'em, and nicely crafted pieces of work they are, too, with real wood stocks and polished metal barrels. There are flintlock-style pistols and frontier rifles, some with Indian feathers, and even one model that looks suspiciously like a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun.

It's a shame the aesthetics of these fine faux firearms are spoiled by the ugly orange plastic caps that terminate each muzzle, but then, how would it look if Little Johnny got blown away by some well meaning peace officer who mistook him for a midget crack dealer in a "Mouseketeer" cap?

But there's the rub. Because nowadays, thanks to the idiots in the California Legislature and their supporters like Michael Eisner, orange caps are not enough. Effective January 1 of this year, in order for such toys to be compliant with state law, "the coloration of the entire exterior surface of the device [must be] bright orange or bright green, either singly or in combination."

Accordingly, "Section 417.2 of the Penal Code is amended to read: 417.2. (a) Any person who, for commercial purposes, purchases, sells, manufactures, ships, transports distributes, or receives, by mail order or in any other manner, an imitation firearm except as permitted by this section shall be liable for a civil fine in an action brought by the city attorney of the city or the district attorney of the county of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each violation."

Each violation.

So do the math. Disneyland appears to have been in violation of the amended Penal Code for in excess of two weeks. And finding out how many violations have occurred shouldn't be difficult at all; I imagine a simple subpoena for sales receipts involving affected stock numbers would do the trick nicely.

That is, providing anyone from the DA or City Attorney's office has the stones to go up against the jewel in Anaheim's economic crown, and the considerable political leverage the Disney organization wields at the local, state and national level.

Still, as risky as it seems, some smart prosecutor may figure out that this is a slam-dunk case, one that can build name recognition and boost a career to prominence. After all, it's not like Disney can claim ignorance of the law, especially with their army of in-house and retained lawyers and lobbyists. Besides which, their hometown paper, the Orange County Register ran a feature on the new regulations just a week after they went into effect.

While it may be conceivable that a mom and pop toy store in Little Saigon might not be clued into these new arcane requirements, it is hardly believable that Disney senior executives and legal counsel are in the dark. And it's not like they can claim their imitation guns aren't "realistic" enough to be included; the muzzle caps clearly demonstrate a legal awareness that these toys fall within the jurisdiction of such laws.

Nope, all it would really take is for some ambitious prosecutor to take a few hours, drive over to the Magic Kingdom and stroll over to Pioneer Mercantile in Frontierland. One quick look at the on-floor inventory should give him all the authority he needs to seal the place and obtain a subpoena.

And then, just for good measure, maybe he'd like to take a brief detour over to Adventure Land, and visit the Indiana Jones Adventure Outlet, where he can "unearth some true finds, like Indy hats, leather jackets and T-shirts, Egyptian artifacts, jewelry, and more."

More illegal toy guns.

Courtesy of the Magic Kingdom Scofflaw, who belies the very laws he endorses, and demonstrates for all to see that when toy guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have toy guns.

[Within weeks after this article appeared on KeepAndBearArms.com, the guns were pulled from the shelves at Disneyland--I'm not claiming this is why, but it is a definite coincidence.]