Amtrak may ease rules on guns on its trains, sources say
Amtrak is considering a policy change that would allow passengers to store firearms in lockboxes on most of its trains, expanding gun access beyond the current allowance on a limited number of long-distance routes. The proposal, reportedly influenced by pressure from Trump administration officials, comes shortly after a man was arrested for traveling by Amtrak with firearms allegedly intending to attack President Trump at the White House Correspondents' dinner. Critics, including gun safety advocates, argue the move would undermine public safety, especially in light of the recent incident.
- ▪Amtrak is considering adding lockboxes to most of its trains to allow passengers to store firearms, expanding access from a few dozen long-distance trains to over 1,500 daily routes.
- ▪The policy change follows pressure from Trump administration officials to ease restrictions on transporting weapons.
- ▪Cole Tomas Allen was arrested after allegedly traveling by Amtrak from California to Washington, D.C., with a shotgun and semiautomatic pistol, intending to attack President Trump.
- ▪Current Amtrak rules require firearms to be declared and stored unloaded in hard cases within checked baggage on select trains with locked baggage cars.
- ▪Unlike airports, Amtrak does not screen passengers or their luggage, nor does it run passenger names through criminal databases.
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Politics Amtrak may ease rules on guns on its trains despite revelations after correspondents' dinner, sources say May 1, 2026 / 8:07 AM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google Amtrak is considering allowing people to store guns in lockboxes on most of its trains, which critics say would weaken security measures that instead should be strengthened in light of the shooting at last weekend's White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Amtrak has been considering the policy change since at least early this year, after being pressured by Trump administration officials to ease restrictions on transporting weapons, two people familiar with the proposed plan told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak about it publicly.
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