Amtrak weighs easing gun rules on trains after deadly shooting
Amtrak is considering lockboxes on most trains just days after prosecutors said a man accused in the White House dinner attack rode cross-country with guns and knives.
Amtrak is weighing whether to loosen its gun rules just days after federal prosecutors said the man accused in the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting traveled cross-country by train carrying firearms and knives, a change that would put new pressure on a system built around tightly controlled checked baggage.
Under Amtrak’s current policy, firearms and ammunition can move only as checked baggage on trains and at stations that offer checked-baggage service and a ticket office. Passengers must notify Amtrak at least 24 hours before departure, check the weapon at least 30 minutes before the train leaves and keep it unloaded in an approved, locked hard-sided container. Ammunition must be packaged separately, the passenger must keep sole possession of the key or combination, and the total weight of ammunition and containers cannot exceed 11 pounds. Firearms and ammunition are barred from carry-on baggage, and passengers remain responsible for obeying federal, state and local gun laws along the route.
The reported proposal would let passengers store guns in lockboxes on most trains, instead of limiting that option to trains with locked baggage cars. Amtrak could begin testing the change soon. That would mark a meaningful shift for a railroad whose firearms program dates to a 2010 federal law directing Amtrak to build a secure checked-baggage process for lawful transport.
The policy debate has sharpened since the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of Justice says the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was arraigned on charges including attempt to assassinate the president, interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Prosecutors also released video they say showed an armed man with guns and knives trying to storm the event in an attempt to kill President Donald Trump.
Critics and rail-safety advocates argue that easing the rules after that attack would move in the wrong direction, especially on a mass-transit system designed around dense shared spaces. Amtrak would be arguing something different: that a broader lockbox option could still keep firearms under control for passengers already allowed to check them under existing rules. The decision will show whether Amtrak sees a real travel need it must accommodate or a safety line it should not cross.
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