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ABC Brandon Tsay was President Biden's guest at the State of the Union last night. |
After introducing Brandon Tsay, the hero who wrestled away an illegal assault weapon from the man accused of killing 11 people at a Monterey Park dance studio, President Biden made a plea for gun control."Let's stop assault weapons now!" he said.
In his State of the Union speech last night, Biden urged federal lawmakers to restrict the sale of the popular firearms as he laid out his policy goals for the rest of his term. He cited the recent mass shootings in California as motivation to “do something” on guns. He touted the bipartisan gun law passed in the wake of the Uvalde elementary school shooting but insisted further gun restrictions were necessary to solve the problem.
“Ban assault weapons now! Ban them now,” Biden said. “Once and for all.”
The Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay mass shootings last month has spurred Asian Americans to ask their lawmakers to strengthen gun control laws.
“After three years of increasing anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents, the two recent tragic events involving the mass shooting of members of the AAPI community have exacerbated the fear and anxiety already felt by so many," said Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific Americans Caucus. "That is why I am proud to announce that CAPAC fully endorses the Assault Weapons Ban Act as an essential measure in keeping our communities safe.
“Assault weapons are solely designed for inflicting maximum damage – and are the firearm of choice for mass shootings," Chu continued. "Weapons of war have no place in our streets, schools, grocery stores, places of worship, movie theaters, or dance studios. All Americans deserve to feel safe and protected from hate and violence, and we in CAPAC will continue working towards eliminating gun violence and protecting our communities.”
The Assault Weapons Ban Act would prohibit the sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of semiautomatic weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices across the country. The House of Representatives passed this legislation in the 117th Congress. Presently, the bill is in committee in the Senate.
From 2015 through 2019, more than 3,000 Asian Americans died from gun suicides, homicides and accidental shootings, says Stop AAPI Hate.
In an opinion article published in several US newspapers, Stop AAPI Hate co-founders Cynthia Choi and Manjusha P. Kulkarni said: "All of us, from leaders and policymakers to community members, have a role to play in creating sane gun policies. In the same way that we've powerfully mobilized against anti-AAPI hate over the past three years, against enormous odds, we can mobilize around gun violence prevention.
"We deserve to be protected. We deserve to feel safe. And we will not back down in the face of adversity."
In his State of the Union speech last night, Biden urged federal lawmakers to restrict the sale of the popular firearms as he laid out his policy goals for the rest of his term. He cited the recent mass shootings in California as motivation to “do something” on guns. He touted the bipartisan gun law passed in the wake of the Uvalde elementary school shooting but insisted further gun restrictions were necessary to solve the problem.
“Ban assault weapons now! Ban them now,” Biden said. “Once and for all.”
The Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay mass shootings last month has spurred Asian Americans to ask their lawmakers to strengthen gun control laws.
“After three years of increasing anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents, the two recent tragic events involving the mass shooting of members of the AAPI community have exacerbated the fear and anxiety already felt by so many," said Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific Americans Caucus. "That is why I am proud to announce that CAPAC fully endorses the Assault Weapons Ban Act as an essential measure in keeping our communities safe.
“Assault weapons are solely designed for inflicting maximum damage – and are the firearm of choice for mass shootings," Chu continued. "Weapons of war have no place in our streets, schools, grocery stores, places of worship, movie theaters, or dance studios. All Americans deserve to feel safe and protected from hate and violence, and we in CAPAC will continue working towards eliminating gun violence and protecting our communities.”
The Assault Weapons Ban Act would prohibit the sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of semiautomatic weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices across the country. The House of Representatives passed this legislation in the 117th Congress. Presently, the bill is in committee in the Senate.
Asian Americans overwhelming are in favor of gun control according to a survey by AAPI Data. On average, almost 80% of Asian Americans favor stricter gun laws.
From 2015 through 2019, more than 3,000 Asian Americans died from gun suicides, homicides and accidental shootings, says Stop AAPI Hate.
In an opinion article published in several US newspapers, Stop AAPI Hate co-founders Cynthia Choi and Manjusha P. Kulkarni said: "All of us, from leaders and policymakers to community members, have a role to play in creating sane gun policies. In the same way that we've powerfully mobilized against anti-AAPI hate over the past three years, against enormous odds, we can mobilize around gun violence prevention.
"We deserve to be protected. We deserve to feel safe. And we will not back down in the face of adversity."
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
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