Incident Summary
A man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was arrested with a shotgun and a semiautomatic pistol after traveling from California to Washington, D.C., on an Amtrak train. This is the latest security incident involving long-distance ground transportation.
Background
- In 2024, a rail worker identified a man acting erratically on a train to Chicago. Police found guns and a pamphlet about crowd control in his carry-on bag, as well as plans for a mass casualty event.
- Amtrak policy allows firearms only as checked baggage, unloaded and secured in a hard case. Passengers are not screened by security officials, unlike at airports.
- A 2010 federal law requires Amtrak to allow firearms transport if they are checked.
Security Concerns
- Rail unions have requested enhanced security since the COVID-19 pandemic, citing difficulties enforcing mask mandates and rowdy behavior after the January 6 riots.
- Jared Cassity (SMART-TD) stated that operator assaults and guns on trains are top concerns for workers. The union has introduced federal legislation to criminalize interference with rail workers.
- In 2022, a fatal shooting on an Amtrak train in Missouri led to a $158 million jury award against Amtrak for negligence, including failure to implement reasonable security measures.
- Former Amtrak employee Michael Callanan noted that Amtrak police cover large territories and lack the presence of TSA agents. He cited smuggling incidents due to lack of screening.
Logistics and Challenges
- The Rail Passengers Association opposes TSA-style screening at all 500 stations, citing impracticality from large urban stations (e.g., New York Penn Station) to small rural depots (e.g., Whitefish, Montana).
- Sean Jeans-Gail (Rail Passengers Association) stated that Amtrak has been largely safe from gun violence, with main incidents being police shootings or interdictions.
- Union officials say the conversation on security must start, acknowledging the difficulty of securing rural stations.