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Trust me, there's nobody wielding machine guns in Penn Station. The soldiers are carrying semi-auto rifles. They do have magazines in them, but I'm not at all sure they have bullets in the magazines (I'm trying to get up the nerve to ask one of them). They're in some of the major subway stations too.

The soldiers are carrying semi-auto rifles. They do have magazines in them, but I'm not at all sure they have bullets in the magazines (I'm trying to get up the nerve to ask one of them)
I was curious about that as well, so the last time I was in JFK (NYC)I decided to ask. The soldiers were patrolling in pairs. I was standing outside waiting for a cab as two soldiers started to enter the building. I approached the second one and, very politely, asked him if I could ask him a question. He said, "yes". I said, "Someone told me that you don't have ammunition in the guns, is that right?" He stiffened, and I very quickly said, "Don't answer." The first soldier, who had been somewhat ahead of the other, very quickly returned to where we were standing and rather briskly asked me what I wanted. I repeated what I had asked the second soldier and quickly said, "You don't need to answer either." I don't think they appreciated my question.