A chaotic and violent scene unfolded inside one of New York City’s busiest transit hubs and it’s reigniting a familiar debate.
According to reporting from NBC New York, a 44-year-old man armed with a machete attacked multiple people inside Grand Central Terminal Saturday morning, slashing three victims across two subway platforms.
Police say the suspect, identified as Anthony Griffin, first attacked a victim on the 7 train platform before moving upstairs and injuring two more people on the 4/5/6 line.
Witnesses described panic, blood on the ground, and confusion as the situation unfolded. It ended when NYPD officers confronted Griffin.
Authorities say he was acting erratically, repeatedly claiming he was “Lucifer,” and ignored multiple commands to drop the weapon. When he advanced toward officers with the machete, police opened fire, striking him twice.
He later died at the hospital. The victims—an 84-year-old man, a 65-year-old man, and a 70-year-old woman—are expected to survive. But the incident is already drawing sharp reaction.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms says the attack highlights what it calls the dangers of “public disarmament,” arguing that strict gun laws leave citizens unable to defend themselves in moments like this.
Chairman Alan Gottlieb pointed out that while police ultimately stopped the attacker, the victims had no immediate way to fight back during the initial assault.
He also noted that the suspect reportedly had prior arrests, raising questions about how someone with a known history was still able to carry out a violent attack in a crowded public space.
The broader issue, according to CCRKBA, is response time.
In their view, when violence erupts suddenly, especially in confined environments like a subway, waiting for law enforcement may not be enough.
“The blood of his victims is on the hands of New York City officials and politicians in Albany who fight to keep their citizens unarmed, and at the mercy of madmen who don’t understand what that word means,” Gottlieb said.
Three victims were already wounded before police made contact. And that’s where this debate always circles back: What happens in those first critical seconds?
Because in places like Grand Central (crowded, fast-moving, and tightly controlled), those seconds are often all anyone gets.
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