Due to mass shootings and an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes, Asians and Asian Americans who were traditionally gun-averse are beginning to consider training to use firearms as a means to defend themselves.
Asian Americans have reportedly been the lowest gun-owning demographic in the U.S. However, studies and data collected over the course of the pandemic have shown that racial discrimination is linked to the increase of firearm ownership among Asian Americans.
In a 2021 national survey, an industry trade group showed 30% of gun retailers reported an uptick in Asian American customers.
Following the recent mass shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, gun stores are seeing more Asian and Asian American customers buying guns for protection.
Kris He, a 22-year-old immigrant from China, considered purchasing a gun in California three days after his gun license became official.
In an interview with CNN, He said that one of his friends lost their aunt in the Monterey Park shooting that killed 11 people.
“I’m afraid in my house,” he said. “I think if you have gun, I have gun. I afraid you, you afraid me. So, it’s safe.”
Trish Sargentini, a 34-year-old biotech worker in the Bay Area, recalled the many viral videos of Asian Americans being victimized during the pandemic. Out of fear, she became a gun owner.
“I definitely felt very worried for myself and others in the Asian American community,” she said. “That was the first time that it was very clear that I wasn’t just American. Suddenly, I’m Asian American.”
In an interview with Barron’s, Tom Nguyen, a firearms instructor based in Azusa, California, noted that he receives more business every time a mass shooting occurs.
People are concerned for their own personal safety and their families. The interest in guns goes up because a lot of people feel like: “I don’t want to be vulnerable. I don’t want to be the only person that’s vulnerable while someone’s attacking me…
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