One good thing that has come about is the vote allowing Amtrak passengers to check unloaded and locked handguns in checked baggage. Senate Vote 279 passed with a final yay vote tally of all 40 Republican senate members, joined with 27 Democratic senate members. The Independent senate members were split, one voting against and the other voting for the ammendment. The remaining 29 Democrats voted against the ammendment, and 1 Democrat member didn’t vote at all. The ammendment, named after the senate member who introduced it, Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, Republican.
Amtrak and firearms
Amtrak, if it doesn’t comply with the Wicker ammendment, would lose out on earmarked funds. “Americans should not have their Second Amendment rights restricted for any reason, particularly if they choose to travel on America’s federally subsidized rail line,” Mr. Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, said in the statement. Before the tragedy of September 11th, Amtrak previously allowed passengers to carry on their licensed guns onto their trains, but the policy was stopped because of the tragedy of September 11th. Those that opposed the ammendment argued that that Amtrak doesn’t have a system in place, such as the guidelines already enforced by the airline industry. However, if Amtrak had a policy of allowing licensed guns in the recent past, before September 11, 2001, the argument of not having an existing system in place seems like a distorted and misplaced argument. Another argument they have used is the easy accessibility to the baggage car area. Well, if they simply make it harder to access then the problem is fixed.
