BELLEVUE, WA – Friday’s slashing spree in the New York City subway underscores the need for immediate reform of city and state concealed carry laws so that honest citizens have the ability to fight back and defend themselves against such viciousness, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“We know at least three people were violently attacked by several people,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Fortunately, nobody was killed, but this is a symptom of a larger problem in New York City, which is the perpetuation of a system that is designed to prevent average citizens from being able to resist such brutality.”

Reports say police have rounded up some suspects, but there are few details. But Gottlieb suggested such attacks wouldn’t happen if dangerous thugs weren’t confident they would meet no resistance from their victims.

“The mere thought that somebody might be able to fight back with a legally-carried firearm can have a serious deterrent effect,” Gottlieb said. “Attacking and slashing people at random is barbaric, but under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s anti-gun regime, felony assaults have reportedly gone up 25 percent over last year.

“New Yorkers should not be living in fear of such crime,” he observed. “It’s not enough for the mayor or some police official promise things will get better with more officers assigned to provide security. People who do this sort of thing don’t do it when there’s a cop standing nearby, but only when they think nobody is there to stop them.

“When something like this happens, only an armed citizen can immediately and effectively fight back,” Gottlieb stated. “In New York City, thanks to antiquated, ridiculously restrictive gun laws, that’s not an option. Common sense dictates the necessity for a dramatic change of policy. New York must reform its carry laws and streamline the process for getting a carry license. No law-abiding citizen should be expected to jump through all the bureaucratic hoops now in place, or endure the costs associated with getting a carry permit in the Big Apple. This sort of crime should never happen anywhere, especially in a country where the right to keep and bear arms is supposed to be sacrosanct.”