Republican senator’s plan to let guns on Amtrak moves closer to reality

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WASHINGTON – A Government Accountability Office study quietly released Thursday has bolstered a Republican senator’s efforts to force Amtrak’s rail service to accommodate gun toting riders or face shutdown, Raw Story has found.

The GAO ruled Thursday that an amendment inserted into a transportation funding bill by Republican Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) was permanent law, erasing doubts that Amtrak would have to comply. The mandate would force Amtrak to reverse a longstanding rule banning passengers from bringing guns onto trains instituted after 9/11.

The ruling comes just one week before the cash-strapped rail service must report back to the U.S. Senate with a plan to provide for gun-owning passengers. Wicker’s amendment would strip the passenger rail service of $1.6 billion in federal funding if it does not formulate a gun-friendly plan.

Full story: Exclusive: Republican senator’s plan to let guns on Amtrak moves closer to reality | Raw Story