Jun 9, 1996 ... ARLINGTON - That's Six Flags, not six-guns. To remind people of that, officials at
Six Flags Over Texas this spring installed metal detectors at ...
Six Flags enforces ban on guns via detectors - Facility also uses signs to help inform visitors Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Sunday, June 9, 1996 Author: John Moritz, Star-Telegram Writer ARLINGTON - That's Six Flags, not six-guns. To remind people of that, officials at Six Flags Over Texas this spring installed metal detectors at the turnstiles and posted signs in the parking lots reminding customers that even though a new state law allows law-abiding Texans to carry concealed weapons, guns are illegal in amusement parks. "We realize that the law already prohibits concealed weapons in places like Six Flags, but not everyone else does," said park spokeswoman Nancy St. Pierre. "So we think that with the signs and detectors, we can keep the park as safe as possible for family entertainment." Six Flags Theme Parks Inc., operator of the Arlington facility, also installed metal detectors at Houston's AstroWorld, which it controls. The company is evaluating whether to put metal detectors at Fiesta Texas, a newly acquired property in San Antonio, St. Pierre said. Great Adventure, a Six Flags-owned park in Jackson, N.J., has used metal detectors since 1987. Though there have been a few instances of gunplay at amusement parks around the country, the Six Flags group appears to be in the minority in its use of metal detectors. Officials of other amusement venues in Arlington said they have seen no reason to install the detectors and have no plans to do so. According to police records, only two offenses involving weapons have been reported in Arlington's entertainment district since 1995. In the first, on June 5, 1995, a 911 caller reported that someone was displaying a weapon during an altercation about one block from Wet'n Wild. By the time police arrived, everyone had left, according to police reports. The other incident happened shortly after midnight on Sept. 23, 1995. Police confiscated a .357-caliber Magnum from a man in a pickup after a fight outside The Ballpark. The man with the weapon was taken to jail, according to police. Metal detectors were introduced in the Six Flags New Jersey amusement park after a shooting and two stabbings over Easter weekend in 1987. Last year in Houston, a teenager opened fire on a crowd outside AstroWorld, killing one and injuring four others. Arlington's Six Flags began using the metal detectors when the park opened for weekends in March. If a parkgoer activates the metal detector, an officer will wave a metaldetecting wand around the person and his or her bags, St. Pierre said. Generally, key
chains and jewelry are the only things setting off the detectors, she said. As of last week, no weapons had set off the detectors but some parkgoers with gun permits voluntarily checked the weapons with the off-duty police officers Six Flags hires to provide security, St. Pierre said. "Ironically, most of the people we ask to check their guns," she said, "are police officers who are from out of town but here to take their families to the park." Texas' right-to-carry law took effect Jan. 1 and generally allows citizens who have no felony convictions or histories of mental illness to apply for gun permits. Applicants must complete a training course before a permit will be issued. Even with a permit, Texans are prohibited from carrying concealed weapons into a variety of locations, including bars, schools, hospitals, sporting events and government meetings. In addition, businesses and building owners can prohibit concealed weapons from their premises by posting signs at entry points. The Ballpark in Arlington, Wet'n Wild and Texas Stadium have no plans to install metal detectors, officials at those establishments said. "It just hasn't proven necessary," said John Blake, spokesman for the Rangers. Burke Pease, president of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, said use of the detectors at Six Flags won't affect his office's marketing strategy for the entertainment district. "I think it reinforces our commitment to customer safety and security," Pease said. "There might be an initial reaction that says, `Gee, do they have to do this because they have so many problems?' But obviously, that's not the case. "We have not had any phone calls or any sort of feedback on this at all. I think it's a nonissue." A Wichita Falls man visiting Six Flags with his family on Friday agreed. "They don't bother me at all," said Jeff Talmage, who took his children, ages 4, 5 and 8, to the park. "If anything, I guess it makes you feel a little safer." Texas' law was modeled after a 1987 Florida statute. But unlike in Texas, the Florida law does not prohibit concealed weapons in amusement parks and professional sports venues, said Susan Harrell, an administrator in the Florida secretary of state's office. The Florida law does give business owners the right to ban weapons from their property, she said.
At Joe Robbie Stadium, home to pro football's Miami Dolphins and baseball's Florida Marlins, officials post signs throughout the building informing visitors that weapons are prohibited, said Jennifer Velazquez, a guest services representative. Fans licensed to carry a concealed handgun are asked to check them with the stadium security office for the duration of the game. Anyone who does not is asked to leave or is taken to the Metro Dade County police substation at the stadium, Velazquez said. Bill Warren, spokesman for Walt Disney World, said that the Orlando, Fla., theme park prohibits concealed weapons but that no signs are posted and no metal detectors are in use. "We simply ask people who have a license to carry concealed handguns to put their guns in the trunks of their cars because we don't think that guns have a place in our park," he said. "Even law enforcement officers who are not on the property for a specific purpose are asked to leave their guns in the car."
