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US rail union warns expanded onboard firearms access could endanger passengers and staff
The Transport Workers Union has criticised Amtrak’s plan to let passengers carry firearms in lockboxes to their seats on more trains, calling it a safety risk. The policy is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and would expand access to guns on services where passengers and staff share confined spaces.
Under the proposed process, station staff would secure each passenger’s gun case with an Amtrak-owned combination lock, which staff at the destination would remove. The union says faulty locks or attempts to force cases open could endanger riders and workers, and notes that many stations lack Amtrak staff or law enforcement. It says the change would cover 1,500 additional trains a day, including busy Northeast Corridor routes used by about 750,000 people daily; currently, guns are permitted on some long-distance trains if stored in secure baggage cars.
In short
- Amtrak plans to allow firearms in lockboxes on more trains from January 2027.
- The union says the change could endanger passengers and onboard workers.
- The plan would cover 1,500 additional trains a day.
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The case for
The union’s safety concerns merit consideration because firearms would be brought closer to passengers and staff in confined train carriages, while the lockbox process depends on reliable equipment and secure handovers. Where stations lack Amtrak staff or law enforcement, a faulty lock or attempted break-in could be harder to manage, and the expansion would affect many services and travellers.
The case against
Allowing passengers to keep locked firearms near their seats could make train travel more practical for lawful gun owners, while still requiring the weapons to remain secured. Amtrak could argue that combination locks and a defined handover process provide safeguards, and that extending the policy across more trains offers consistent access rather than limiting it to services with baggage cars.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Amtrak workers’ union denounces plan to let passengers bring guns on trains: ‘Sheer lunacy’”.