I love happy endings!
So then, is it permissible to carry a firearm while a passenger on Amtrak? I’m really out of the loop on that, haven’t ridden Amtrak in decades. But I assumed there would be TSA type check in requirements.
There are no TSA checkpoints comparable to those at airports at any station.
It’s part of the entertainment package.
It is not; in fact ‘carry’ is prohibited in Amtrak stations as well (both are considered Federal property). So are firearms of any kind in carry-ons, no matter if broken down or locked.
As result of Senate action in 2009 you can check a limited amount of arms and ammunition (11lb. handguns, 50lb. long guns) and you can find the rules in Amtrak’s ‘prohibited baggage’ policies. Note that black-powder and similar arms are always streng verboten!
I am advised that Amtrak often uses state personnel to enforce the onboard firearms policy, despite “federal” charges being potentially involved. This might take the form of state or local police meeting the train upon suspicion.
Back when I was working VRE would periodically have dogs and their handlers patrol significant stations that they served.
I don’t know what the dogs sniff specialization was - drugs, firearms, explosives.
Thanks to all who have responded. So it might be fair to speculate that this traveler chose Amtrak over air travel due to the lesser degree of screening?
No, criminals don’t follow the law.
And an “altercation” inside escalated to a shooting that injured a by-stander outside New York’s Penn Station
Man Shot Outside NY Penn Station After Dispute Inside Transit Hub: Police – NBC New York
The lesson is clear, we need to get rid of Amtrak, it attracts idiots willing to use firearms
While you can with limitations as outlined by Overmod. When was the last time you went through a x-ray machine at any train station?..
So do bank branches in supermarkets.
As do 48,000 bars.[:-,]
There’s K9’s that specialize for each category. Pretty amazing animals!
Just out of curiosity: Was the train routed to the eastern end of the concourse intentionally for this incdent, or is track 28 or 30 normally where the Zephyr arrives?
If the former, great move on everyone’s part! The fact that this incident occurred during a seemingly uninterrupted rush hour should not be lost on people. Everyone involved at Amtrak did his/her job well.
Gunman was wanted for murder in California. Police had notified Amtrak Security that he was on the train (great job, but how? Video? Tipster?), who met the train
“WMAQ-TV reports police had obtained high-definition video surveillance showing Taylor carrying out the fatal shooting of a 55-year-old man in Oakland on Saturday. An arrest warrant had been issued Tuesday morning for charges including murder and illegally possessing a gun as a felon, among other allegations. Taylor had previously been convicted for making criminal threats, attempted grand theft, and commercial burlgarly, among other crimes.”
Yes, but banks and bars serve a valid, useful purpose and contribute to our society
Bars have also contributed to any number of DUI’s and assorted other felonies.
I suspect the direction this thread has turned fairly well illustrates why so many former members may have moved on?
I suspect the original topic name did as much or more in that respect than its subsequent ‘discussion’.
Not mentioned here so far is the timing, which may have influenced the non-involvement (not just non-participation) of the U.S.Marshal Service in the arrest. Someone with more interest than I have can look at the time the arrest warrant was actually issued vs. the time Amtrak was apprised of the warrant status (the latter, apparently, only the Tuesday morning corresponding to the train’s arrival).
It may well be there was only time for Amtrak to re-route the train to a controlled or distant location and have its own officers present. I am tempted to say that some excuse for delaying the train indefinitely due to ‘METRA congestion’ would probably have been accepted by anyone on the train as believable…
I confess my original suspicion was that everyone waited until Taylor was in a jurisdiction notorious for assuring that people who use deadly force against cops don’t survive. That may not be the case with Amtrak’s police – but it might be interesting to see the training and experience of the officer in question, not that I’m criticizing him or what he did in any way.