photo by Clif Burns
From a press release:
“The Transport Workers Union is blasting a new Amtrak policy now scheduled for January 2027 that officially permits passengers to bring their guns on board in personal lock boxes as “lunacy.” Amtrak previously said it was considering the policy change but did not announce a timeline.
Under the new policy,
gun owners could bring their weapons in cases to an Amtrak station agent, who would add an Amtrak combination lock. Passengers could then board with their weapons. The station agent at the passengers’ arrival stations would then remove the Amtrak lock.
“You can’t walk onto a plane with a gun; it has to be checked with your luggage and stowed away,” TWU International Rail Division Director John Feltz said. “So why allow guns in passenger cars on trains where there are also passengers in confined spaces? This is sheer lunacy.”
Feltz added: “A case or lock could be defective, or an enraged rider could use brute force to access a weapon. Either scenario will endanger the lives of riders and our members working on trains.”
Current Amtrak policy allows riders to transport their guns on a few dozen long-distance trains, with weapons stored in secure baggage cars. The new policy, scheduled to take effect in January, would allow passengers to take guns to their seats in lockboxes on another 1,500 trains a day across the country, including on the Northeast Corridor, TWU International Staff Representative Brian DeLucia said
Feltz called on the federal government to reverse course and ensure that firearms are kept in secure locations outside of Amtrak passenger cars. Today, many stations now don’t have any Amtrak or law enforcement presence. When something goes wrong because of this policy, there may not be any personnel available to prevent disaster.
TWU Local 1460 represents Amtrak on-board service workers, including train attendants and café staff.
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The TWU represents more than 160,000 workers across the airline, railroad, transit, universities, utilities and service sectors. The TWU is the largest airline workers union in the United States.”