Here is an interesting article I came across. Seems Amtrak will allow firearms back onto trains effective 15 December.

Read entire article here

I'll bet what's in the White House didn't know about this or it would never have happened.

Also, interesting how the Brady outfit is opposing it. Over the time they have existed, they've morphed into a generalized attack on all private possession of firearms. They're also the most up front representative of one of the Democrat Party's loudest constituencies.

Anyway, I'd just now like to see Amtrak start allowing transport also of game and fish. I actually would have ridden Amtrak to return from the New Orleans area after a fishing trip years ago, but didn't because they wouldn't allow us to bring our fish in coolers along in the baggage car. They had all kinds of space available, but it was against policy.

Amtrak plays a role so small in the lives of outdoorsmen that it is virtually non-existent, but this nevertheless is an important symbolic step just because of Amtrak's visibility with the general public as part of the federal gov't.

Two years ago I took Amtrak from Chicago to Raton, NM for my annual cow elk hunt. The motel was within walking distance of the train station, the guide provides transportation on the ranch and the local processing plant takes meat to Denver for shipment by air. Not having to drive 1200 miles (one way) was a fun change of pace.

The down side is that I had to borrow the guide's rifle because of Amtrak's ban on firearms. It's not a good idea to use a borrowed firearm in the first place and I didn't have an opportunity to sight the rifle in before the hunt. Luckily, I cleanly missed the first elk but killed one later in the day.

The bizarre thing about the firearm ban is that passenger security is othewise all but non-existant on Amtrak. No metal detectors, no poking, no prodding, no Xrays or screening of any kind beyond showing a drivers' license. I could have easily walked on board the train with a handgun in my pocket or a bomb in my luggage. When you think about it, in the hands of a nutcase even a (perfectly legal) baseball bat could have taken out more people in less time than my Ruger #1 rifle.

Dropping the ban on firearms is a victory for the Second Amendment but a small one. I still can't take my rifle to Raton on Amtrak because they don't handle checked baggage at that station. The same situation applies to my Montana mule deer and antelope hunts. The train goes right to the town where I stay (Glasgow) as well as many other prime hunting areas but there is no checked baggage service at the smaller stations.

I'm unaware of any "ban" as such on meat as baggage. There is a limit on the size and weight of baggage but you could probably bring a cooler filled with a processed, frozen deer-sized animal on board the train.

I rode the Amtrak CNO into NOLA the day after 9/11. There were rumors spreading among the passengers that suspected terrorists had been found on the Texas Eagle the same day. Our trip was more uneventful, except that when we passed the airport it was remarkable to see row after row of grounded planes. There was zero security when we arrived at the station. On leaving the next day, security was there in the form of local LE who asked what I had in the suitcase. That was it.

They're stricter now than then, but it's still not remotely like flying. For obvious reasons, they don't have to worry about hijackers.

I have no idea what the current position on wild game and fish is, but it was a long time before 9/11 when I inquired about that. The only reason we even asked was because our car broke down in south Louisiana and we were struggling to get home.

Personally, I think they would do well to go on and let people bring anything they want that's safe in the baggage car and charge something for really large amounts. Unlike planes, they've got nearly unlimited baggage space available and could probably make some serious money off people using that for light commercial use. I'd even let them go back to carrying the mail too. Since they're determined to keep it operating, they should find ways to help it pay for itself.