Other victims were Daoyou Feng, 44; Paul Michels, 54; Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49; Delaina Yaun, 33; Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; and Hyun Jung Grant, 51. The shootings that took their lives were classified as a hate crime by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, one of the prosecutor in the case.
Calls for stricter gun control were a recurrent component of the event at the Capitol.
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a Democrat, called the day a “difficult anniversary.” She also denounced the “unfettered access to weapons” that she said played a role in the “tragic loss of eight souls that should still be with us today.” She noted that her son Jordan Davis, also a victim of gun violence, would have turned 28 last month.
The 21-year-old gunman purchased the 9mm handgun used in the killings earlier that same day. Georgia imposes no waiting period between the purchase and the transfer of any type of firearm.
State Rep. Michelle Au, a Johns Creek Democrat, would like to change that. This legislative session, she filed a bill with five other Asian American lawmakers that would require a three-day waiting period for some firearm sales.
She said that the recent growth of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) caucus in the Legislature has given more forcefulness to demands for change at the state level.
“Our voices were not always heard in buildings like these,” she said.
Michael Webb is the former husband of Xiaojie “Emily” Tan. Although they separated in 2012, the pair remained close. During the pandemic, Webb helped remodel Tan’s spa business, Young’s Asian Massage in Acworth.
Webb said as a lifelong gun owner he “didn’t share the same political affiliation as my friends standing here today.” But he still backs “common sense reform.”
“We can’t give up,” he said from the podium.
Later in the morning, dozens of community advocates streamed into the nearby Georgia Freight Depot, an event space, with chants of ‘Stop Asian hate,” and…
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