Amtrack

SheepDog223 · May 24, 2009

My Utah permit should be comming in the mail sometime around mid next month. (I took the class and mailed the stuff in this last January as a birthday present) To celebrate I would like to take my wife up to the space needle for date night via the train from salem. Question: Any laws about CCing on a train I should know about?

kirkcdl · May 24, 2009

Last I heard,AMTRAK is a big no-no for CCW,with federal law backing it up.More restricted than the airlines...Prohibited would probably be a better word...

BillM · May 24, 2009

AMTRAK (and Greyhound) are more restrictive than the airlines. No Guns.
Not checked, not carry-on, not on your person. Only exception appears
to be for currently active law enforcement. Even retired police
are forbidden to carry on AMTRAK. Why are the train/bus are more
restrictive than air travel? No idea. It's their policy--and my choice as
to where I spend my money.

Fly or drive. Flying with guns is no big deal---play by the rules and pick
an airline with a good reputation for firearms. Alaska, Southwest,
U.S. Airways all seem to get good reviews.

coctailer · May 24, 2009

Is it illegal, or just against their rules?

I know the FAA governs the airlines.........who governs the rails?

Sun195 · May 24, 2009

coctailer said:
Is it illegal, or just against their rules?

I know the FAA governs the airlines.........who governs the rails?

I believe it's Amtrak policy/rule making that prohibits guns - not federal law. They are regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration & may have authority to do all sorts of things under them.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R. Mississippi) is proposing legislation that would force Amtrak to allow guns on their trains. Notice that his legislation forces them to change their "gun ban" or they don't get certain Federal funds. I take this to mean that the ban is not Federal law, but Amtrak rules/policy.

SheepDog223 · May 24, 2009

It sounds like it's only policy then and not law? Like schools and gunshows?

armedandsafe · May 24, 2009

The problem is that AmTrak rules have the force of law until you get into court. You will receive a LOT of attention you don't want if you get caught.

Pops

dolooper · May 25, 2009

BillM said:
AMTRAK (and Greyhound) are more restrictive than the airlines. No Guns.
Not checked, not carry-on, not on your person. Only exception appears
to be for currently active law enforcement. Even retired police
are forbidden to carry on AMTRAK. Why are the train/bus are more
restrictive than air travel? No idea. It's their policy--and my choice as
to where I spend my money.

It's been that way for some time now (at least as far as Greyhound is concerned). Greyhound wouldn't let me check a couple of long guns on my way to school. They said it was because the luggage area is not secured when the bus stops. Found myself stranded in downtown Portland until I could get a school friend to drive up from Eugene. Not to date myself, but this would have been the early to mid-80s.