Starting in January, Amtrak will allow firearms and ammunition on select trains through checked baggage service.
According to Amtrak, passengers must contact the company at least six hours before travel by calling 800-USA-RAIL. Online reservations will not be accepted.
Passengers must travel on the same train as their checked firearms or ammunition.
All firearms must also be unloaded and stored in an approved, locked, hard-sided container not exceeding 62 inches long by 17 inches wide by 7 inches deep.
The decision has drawn criticism from the Transport Workers Union, which called the policy "lunacy."
“You can’t walk onto a plane with a gun; it has to be checked with your luggage and stowed away,” TWU International Rail Division Director John Feltz said. “So why allow guns in passenger cars on trains where there are also passengers in confined spaces? This is sheer lunacy.”
Feltz added: “A case or lock could be defective, or an enraged rider could use brute force to access a weapon. Either scenario will endanger the lives of riders and our members working on trains.”
Amtrak currently allows riders to transport firearms on a few dozen long-distance trains. Those weapons must be stored in secure baggage cars.
