Unloaded Guns Now Allowed on Amtrak

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Katie in Gun News, News

We found a news article on USA Today that we just had to share with you.  If you travel with your guns like we do, you might have known that between flying and the train, your only option was flying and checking your guns in your luggage (if your airline allowed it).  Well, Amtrak has recently lifted the no firearms ban, and similar to airlines, you can now check your firearms and ammunition at train stations that offer checked baggage service.  So if you plan to travel on Amtrak with your guns, be sure and check that your departure point has this service.  It’s effective on December 15, 2010.  If you want more information, check out the Amtrak “Firearms in Checked Baggage” page.

Amtrak lifts ban on guns

By Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY

Amtrak will allow passengers to transport unloaded guns on trains, reversing a decade-old ban in place since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The ban lifts Dec. 15.

Travelers can check firearms, including hand guns, starter pistols, rifles and shotguns, and up to 11 pounds of ammunition, at any train station that offers checked baggage service and if the travelers’ itinerary includes a train with a baggage car. Most big city train stations, including New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington, have checked baggage service.

The gun prohibition “was an overreaction” after 9/11, said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who proposed lifting the ban as part of a 2010 appropriations bill.

“The rule was not based on any facts or any reality, and was frankly punitive toward sportsman, hunters and gun owners,” Wicker said. “Amtrak was unable to accommodate hunters and sportsmen. They were forced to choose only air travel.”

The new rules bring train travel in line with air travel, where passengers are allowed to check firearms in an airplane’s baggage compartment, Wicker said.

Story continued Here.

Tags: amtrak, baggage, checked baggage, firearms, gun news, guns, hand guns, news articles