Vice President Kamala Harris on gun control and abortion

WHITE HOUSE

Vice President Kamala Harris was interviewed at the White House AANHIPI Forum.

In a recent interview Vice President Kamala Harris outlined what she and President Biden's positions ARE on two key issues high on the list of concerns of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders: reproductive rights and gun control.

Pollsters and Republicans like to point out that AANHPI voters are "turning right" based on recent elections driven about concerns for equity in justice and education, which translates to crime and affirmative action.

A survey by APIA Vote found that the AANHPI communities are much more complicated than those generalizations suggesting that nationally, when push comes to shove, voters from those communities will align themselves with Democrats.

“Political parties need to cease their views that Asian Americans only care about crime, or only care about education-related issues, as this is clearly not the case,” said Christine Chen, Executive Director of Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)

Another survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found about three-quarters of Asian respondents said abortion should be legal, the most of any racial group.

After the mass shootings in Atlanta, Monterey Park and Allen, Texas, targeting AANHPI, gun violence concerns have moved up among the top concerns of AANHPI communities.

During the an indepth interview at the White House AANHPI Forum held earlier this month at George Washington University, Harris talked about her Indian heritage and also discussed gun violence and reproductive rights. 

Following is the part of the interview on gun violence and reproductive rights as conducted by Poorna Jagannathan from Never Have I Ever, and Jerry Won, the Founder & CEO of Just Like Media. It has been edited for length:


MS. JAGANNATHAN: And with the, you know, Roe vs. Wade being overturned, we’re seeing unprecedented attack on the reproductive healthcare system. I was delighted to know from your team that 74 percent of Asian Americans surveyed said abortion should be legal in all or most cases. And I would love to know what is the administration doing to address those needs.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, first of all, thank you for being so courageous to tell your story. This is an issue that I think is some — is something that demands and requires all leaders to speak up. And we all need to build on the movement that started before and led to Roe v. Wade being decided. And we must pick up to move forward and get a United States Congress who has the courage and the willingness to pass legislation that would put the protections of Roe v. Wade into law at a national level. (Applause.)

And, again, I come at this being raised by a mother who — who fought for women’s health rights and fought for the dignity that women should have and deserve to have in the healthcare system, and fought against the inequities that were present there.

And so, this issue of fighting for women’s reproductive care — for me, it’s just something that is very personal in terms of just a lifelong acknowledgement and understanding about the disparities and the unfairness and the indignities that women can face in the healthcare system.

And, you know, if you compound race, if you compound language barriers, profound impacts result. And so, on this issue, let’s look at where we are.

The United States Supreme Court, the highest court in our land, just took a constitutional right, that had been recognized, from the people of America, from the women of America.

And what we then saw is: In states around our country, extremist so-called leaders started proposing and passing laws that would criminalize healthcare providers — literally laws that provide for jail time for doctors and nurses and healthcare providers; passing laws that make no exception for rape or incest.

And many of you know: A majority of my career was as a prosecutor. And as a prosecutor, I specialized in crimes of violence against women and children.

The idea that you would say to an individual who has survived an act of violence and violation to their body — to say to that person that, after that, you will also be deprived and we will take away your ability to make the next decision about what happens to your body — that’s immoral. That’s immoral.

And that’s what’s happening in our country with these people who puff and huff, and they’re so big and bad, and they beat their chests. They’re supposed to be strong; we’re supposed to just be in awe of their intelligence. And what they’re doing is absolutely unconscionable.

And, on this point, let’s also recognize that for women of color, women with immigrant background, women who may have language barriers, the impact on them is even more severe in terms of where can they go, where will they have the ability to be in a safe place to address one of the most personal issues that a person can face?

And the concern I have — and we have so many leaders here that I would ask us to all be also thoughtful about on this issue — is: There is also underlying this a centuries-old issue of judging women based on their sexuality. And so, an environment that on this issue is also intended, and certainly has the effect, of making these individuals feel embarrassed, ashamed — as though they’ve done something wrong.

And what that means in terms of compounding their sense of isolation and, in that way, suggesting to them that they are alone and that they’re not seen and that we don’t care about supporting them and their voice and their autonomy and their independence.

So there’s a lot at play on this issue. And, ultimately, I think that the way that this is going to be resolved is we have to keep voting, and we have to vote people in office who have the courage to stand up and agree that this is about foundational principles that are about freedom and liberty.

And I want to say this point also. Let us also agree and speak loudly: One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body. (Applause.)

You know, but talk about going backwards. Right?

So you look at this moment we’re in where, you know, a lot of the work that we’ve been doing as an administration — I think today demonstrated that — has been to address what we must do in terms of empowerment of communities, but also to fight against injustice. Right?

And when we think about where are we’ve been in the last few years in terms of everything from anti-Asian hate crime, to what we are looking at in terms of attacks on fundamental freedoms like those that — of a woman to make decisions and a person to make decisions about their body, to the attacks we’re seeing on voting rights, to the attacks we’re seeing on — on LGBTQ and trans folks, the attacks we’re seeing where there are literally — can you imagine, in this year of our Lord 2023, book bans? I mean, really, likes — like, what? Book bans.

And what we’re seeing in terms of — in places like Florida, where, literally, teachers who have a — who are in a same-sex relationship and have a spouse and a family are afraid to have photographs of their family in their classroom for fear that it will then evoke a conversation with a student that is basically — this — these so-called leaders are saying “should not be happening in that classroom.”

Talk about these — there are attempts that are happening right before our eyes to roll back all of the hard-won freedoms that we have collectively fought for.

And this is a time for everyone to stand and to speak out and be very active. You know, there’s an old poem about, “They’ll go for, they’ll go for, they’ll go for, and then they’ll come for you. And who will be left?” That’s the moment we’re at right now, and that’s why it’s so important that we renew, always, our commitment to the coalition and to standing together and saying no one should be made to fight alone. (Applause.)

MR. WON: Thank you so much. You know, speaking of coalition’s and allyship, our community have felt that very strongly over the last three or four years as attacks, racist attacks, hate crimes, and even murder against people who look like us in this room have risen. And gun violence is something that we continue to deal with. Can you address what you and President Biden and the rest of the administration are doing to address the continued attacks on our community, particularly with gun violence?


THE VICE PRESIDENT: So we are seeing a rise in hate crimes, period. Right? I mean, my husband — the first Second Gentleman of the United States of America — (applause) — has been doing a lot of work fighting against antisemitism. And so we are seeing, you know, a rise of that. A horrendous rise in in Asian hate crime, where grandmothers are afraid to go to the store, and — and their families are afraid for them to go to the store, which is part of their routine and their social — right? — traditions.

We’re seeing the marginalization. We’re seeing the bullying. We’re seeing a tenor where — where one should be praised for their so-called strength, but they evidence their strength and it’s measured based on who they beat down when, in fact, I think we all agree you measure strength based on who you lift up. Right?

And so there’s a lot of work that we have to do against this moment of this tone and this approach to what does strength look like, what does leadership look like?

And in that regard, on the issue of gun violence then, there are a number of specific things that have to happen.

In terms of to your question — what our administration has done under President Joe Biden — we have passed smart gun safety legislation for the first time in 30 years that moves the ball forward. (Applause.)

But we’ve got more to do. We have more to do. We should have a national ban on assault weapons. These are designed — (applause) — these are weapons of war. There are weapons of war that have no place in the streets of a civil society.

We should have red-flag laws. We should have background checks.

Why should we have background checks? Well, because you might want to know if someone has been found to be a danger to themselves or others before you let them buy a gun. (Applause.) It’s just reasonable.

And we have — and we cannot be seduced into — into perpetuating this false choice that suggests that you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want reasonable gun safety laws. It’s a false choice.

I support the Second Amendment. I also want to see an assault weapons ban. I also want to see universal background checks. I want to see red-flag laws. I want to see that our babies are not sitting in a classroom where they should be able to learn how to read and write and explore their ideas about what the future of the country can hold, but instead they’re sitting there also being taught how to hide in the closet and be quiet if there’s an active shooter in their classroom. That’s what’s happening.

I grew up in California where — you know, I’m going to date myself, but when I grew up, you know, the only thing we had to learn was, you know, ducking under a table if there’s an earthquake. Right?

Now our children are literally afraid.

I have talked to kids who say, “I like this class and I like this, but I don’t like going to fifth period.” “Why don’t you like when a fifth period?” “Because in that classroom there’s no closet.”

So there is so much about this issue that is about saving lives in — on every level. And we need people to have the courage to act, and that is the one thing that is lacking in this United States Congress and in legislatures around the country. And again, we have to step up and we have to demand action. Lives are at stake. (Applause.)

FYI: For the entire interview at the White House AANHPI Forum, click here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

Biden announces gun control initiative during visit to Monterey Park

President Biden visited Monterey Park to announce an executive order for gun enforcement.

President Biden used his visit with the victims' families of the Monterey Park mass shooting to announce his latest executive order for gun control which  "will accelerate and intensify this work to save more lives more quickly."

Biden was in Monterey Park to console the shooting victims and the families who lost loved ones two months ago when 72-year old Huu Can Tran fatally shot 11 elders and wounded nine others who were celebrating Lunar New Year at a local dance studio last January.

He called the shooting “a tragedy that has pierced the soul of this nation” and that struck “the heart of the Asian American community.”

Monterey Park is located east of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley, home to more than half a million Asian Americans. Nine cities in the valley have Asian American  majorities.

WHITE HOUSE

President Biden once again introduced hero Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the Monterey Park gunman.

Biden used the visit to announce his executive order that calls on Attorney General Merrick Garland to shore up the already existing rules for federally licensed gun dealers so they know they are required to do background checks as part of the license.

"I continue to call on Congress to require background checks for all firearm sales," Biden continued. "My executive order directs my Attorney General to take every lawful action possible — possible to move us as close as we can to universal background checks without new legislation.

"It’s just common sense to check whether someone is a felon, a domestic abuser, before they buy a gun."

The executive order also expands public awareness campaigns about the “red flag” orders that "parents, teachers, police officers, health providers, and counselors know how to flag" individuals  exhibiting violent tendencies, threatening classmates, or experiencing suicidal thoughts that make them a danger to themselves and others and temporarily remove that person’s access to firearms.

The President also said, "The executive order ramps up our efforts to hold the gun industry accountable. It’s the only outfit you can’t sue these days. It does that by calling out for an independent government study that analyzes and exposes how gun manufacturers aggressively market firearms to civilians, especially minors, including by using military imagery.

The order will also make firearms dealers more accountable and illegal gun dealers and also create a FEMA-like quick response to help victims of mass shootings with financial assistance and mental health care.

WHITE HOUSE

Part of the crowd who met with President Biden during his visit to Monterey Park.

The executive order is meant to only be the first step for Biden. He is also proposing legislation that will  ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. (Applause.) I led that fight in — to ban them in 1994. In the 10 years that law was in place, mass shootings went down.

"After three years of trauma that so many of us are living with day in and day out, it's critical that we have the conversation around gun safety given what has happened," Manjusha Kulkarni, the executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance and a co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, was quoted as saying by the report.

Kulkarni said in the report that around 3,000 Asian Americans are impacted by gun violence every year, with women and elderly people in the AAPI community having disproportionately experienced verbal harassment, racism, discrimination, and sometimes physical attacks.

The Asian American community needs "elected officials to rise to the challenge, and pass legislation to keep all of our communities in California and throughout the U.S. safe," she said.

"The data is clear: gun safety laws save lives," tweeted California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Filipino American. 

"We have a moral and ethical obligation to enact them. I stand with the President as he takes this necessary step toward addressing the gun violence crisis," said Bonta, who greeted Biden in Monterey Park.

Hundreds of people waited in the rain to get a glimpse of the Presidential motorcade as it drove through the city to the Boys and Girls Club where Biden met with Monterey Park residents and officials and delivered his speech.

"It takes time. I tell everyone ... it takes time," Biden said in closing. "But I promise you — I promise you the day will come when the memory of your loved one brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye. The tear will never fully go away. But when you had that smile first ... that’s when you know — that’s when you know you’re going to make it — you’re going to know you’re going to make it."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Shooting tragedies spark anti-gun resolve in AANHPI communities; ban on assault weapons

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.

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.

3 of 4 Asian American attorneys general decry Supreme Court ruling allowing for more guns in public

Americans can expect to see more people carrying guns in public.

The US Supreme Court's ruling June 23 overturning a New York handgun licensing law, substantially opens the door to the wild, wild West say three Asian American attorneys general. A fourth AAPI attorney general, a Republican praised the decision.

"The SCOTUS decision is a setback for safety," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.  

Attorneys General William Tong of Connecticut, Holly Shikada of Hawaii and Bonta  expect a new flurry of lawsuits challenging the gun control laws in their respective states.

“This decision is a radical rewrite of the Court’s prior positions on the Second Amendment and states’ rights to pass commonsense gun safety legislation," says Connecticut AG Tong.

Utah's Republican Attorney General Sean Reyes, meanwhile, applauds the court's decision allowing more people to carry concealed guns in public. His state was one of 23 states that filed a friend of the court brief against the New York statute.

This scary decision issued Thursday in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, almost got lost in the alarm bells set off by Friday's controversial decision by the Supreme Court ruling against abortion rights.

Hawaii has some of the strictest laws against guns in the nation. "Hawaii will resist these efforts to undermine our strict gun laws and public safety,” says Shikada, who took over the office in 2021. The Hawaii AG's Office didn't outline any specific details.

"We should expect a wave of new lawsuits nationwide and here in Connecticut, coordinated by gun groups like the NRA, challenging our assault weapons ban, age restrictions on gun ownership, prohibitions on guns in sensitive locations like schools, and provisions enabling public safety professionals to review the suitability of an applicant before granting a gun permit," states Tong. 

"This decision is reckless, and the consequences for public safety nationwide are dire, but it was not unexpected. We have been working closely with advocates, legislators, and other attorneys gen," says Tong.

On the West Coast, California Attorney General Bonta reaffirmed his support for commonsense gun laws in response to the court's gun control opinion saying that New York’s requirement that a person show “proper cause” in order to receive a license to carry firearms in public is unconstitutional.

Despite the ruling, the Filipino American AG reminds Californians that general prohibitions on carrying loaded and concealed firearms in public without a permit remain in effect.

“Californians are committed to safeguarding our citizens, our children, and our future through commonsense gun laws,” says Bonta. “States still have the right to limit concealed carry permits to those who may safely possess firearms. 

For now, California gun restrictions are in effect, assures Attorney General Rob Bonta.

"Our office has been watching this issue closely. We are working with the Governor and the legislature to advance legislation that is both constitutional and will maintain safety for Californians. In the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, and with gun deaths at an all-time high, ensuring that dangerous individuals are not allowed to carry concealed firearms is more important than ever. 

"The data is clear and the consequences are dire — more guns in more places make us less safe. In California, we are committed to passing and defending commonsense, constitutional gun laws that save lives,” Bonta states.

"I am grateful that we had a plan in place to protect our current and future legislative gun control efforts.  In the wake of the Texas tragedy and the continued threats of mass shootings, it’s a moral imperative that California leads on this issue.  It is urgent that we address the gun violence epidemic in our country and concealed carry laws are a key component of that effort."

 

Bonta reminds Californians that carrying a loaded firearm (whether openly or concealed) in most public places is generally prohibited unless a person has been issued a license obtained by applying through local law enforcement. 

InThursday's opinion, the Court held that New York’s law requiring an applicant for a concealed weapon (CCW) license to show “proper cause” in order to secure a license violates the Second Amendment. 

California similarly requires applicants for licenses to carry firearms in public to show “good cause,” and is likely unconstitutional under Bruen. But other requirements remain intact. Individuals may obtain a permit through a sheriff or chief of police after: a successful background check, the completion of a firearms safety course, and proof of residency, employment, or business in the county or city within the county. These laws were created and passed with the unique needs of Californians in mind.

Gun violence remains a growing threat to public safety throughout the nation. On average, there are over 110 gun deaths each day and nearly 41,000 each year in the U.S. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents; with U.S. children being more likely to die from gun violence than in any other comparable country.

California continues its efforts to advance laws and policies that save lives and prevent gun deaths. In 2021, California saw a 37% lower gun death rate than the national average. According to the CDC, California’s gun death rate was the 44th lowest in the nation, with 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people – compared to 13.7 deaths per 100,000 nationally, 28.6 in Mississippi, 20.7 in Oklahoma, and 14.2 in Texas. California’s gun death rate for children is also lower than other states, and is 58% lower than the national average.

Bonta, who is running for election this November, stands with partners throughout the state to continue preventing gun violence strategically and aggressively by:

• Advocating for commonsense gun laws including by sponsoring Assembly Bill 1594 to increase accountability for the firearm industry, working to strengthen federal laws to protect the public from ghost guns, and successfully defending California’s laws to prevent gun violence;
• Seizing guns from prohibited persons in the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, and through multiagency sweeps in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County, conducting operations targeting individuals attempting to illegally purchase guns, and collaborating with local law enforcement partners;
• Ending the sale of illegal firearms through litigation against ghost gun retailers, and by putting a stop to the sale of illegal assault weapons in Orange County; and
• Improving transparency by expanding gun violence-related data the California Department of Justice releases to researchers.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Bonta successfully argues against high capacity magazines for automatic weapons

Attorney General Rob Bonta applauds court decision limiting gun magazine capacity.

Another high capacity weapon, another mass shooting. The results? Four students dead, six others and a teacher wounded after a 15-year old gunman went on a rampage Tuesday at Oxford High School, Oakland County, Michigan.

There is less of a possibility of another mass shooting in California  similar to what happened in Michigan after a decision by an en banc panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a case that challenged the state’s ban on the acquisition and possession of large-capacity magazines (LCMs). 

In a 7-4 decision in Duncan v. Bonta, the Court reversed a district court ruling, and confirmed that California’s restrictions impose only a very small burden on individuals’ ability to defend themselves while, at the same time, reducing the lethality of mass shootings and saving lives.

“Today’s decision is a victory for public safety in California,” said Rob Bonta, the state's first Filipino American Attorney General. “Gun violence is an epidemic in this country, but laws like our ban on large-capacity magazines are commonsense ways to prevent this violence, including devastating mass shootings. I’m thankful to the Court for giving this case a second look, and confirming what we know to be true: our laws keep Californians safe while allowing law-abiding gun owners to exercise their constitutional rights.”

READ the court's decision here.

LCMs are firearm magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. They pose a substantial threat to the public and law enforcement because they allow shooters to fire scores of rounds from the same firearm in a short period of time without needing to reload.

The panel of judges pointed out that in the past 50 years, high-capacity magazines have been used in about 75% of gun massacres with 10 or more deaths and in 100% of gun massacres with 20 or more deaths.

The judges added that more than twice as many people have been killed or injured in mass shootings that involved a high-capacity magazine compared to mass shootings that involved a smaller-capacity magazine.

High-capacity magazines (shown above) are banned in California where gun owners can still own and use guns with small magazines to target shoot or hunt.

“The ban on legal possession of large-capacity magazines reasonably supported California’s effort to reduce the devastating damage wrought by mass shootings,” the court said. “In sum, large-capacity magazines provide significant benefit to soldiers and criminals who wish to kill many people rapidly. But the magazines provide at most a minimal benefit for civilian, lawful purposes.”

In California, it has been illegal to manufacture, import, keep or offer for sale, give, or lend LCMs since 2000. It has been illegal to purchase and receive them since 2013. Proposition 63, which California voters passed in 2016, added a ban on the possession of LCMs. In 2017, the district court enjoined the possession ban from taking effect, pending resolution of the Duncan lawsuit. However, the ban on the sale, purchase, manufacture, importation, or acquisition of LCMs remained in effect during the appeal. 

In a final, supplemental brief filed in June, Bonta argued that California’s restrictions on LCMs respect the public’s Second Amendment right to defend themselves while advancing the state's interests in combating gun violence and reducing the number of deaths and injuries resulting from mass shootings.

In its Tuesday decision, the Court agreed, stating: “In the past half-century, large-capacity magazines have been used in about three-quarters of gun massacres with 10 or more deaths and in 100 percent of gun massacres with 20 or more deaths, and more than twice as many people have been killed or injured in mass shootings that involved a large-capacity magazine as compared with mass shootings that involved a smaller-capacity magazine.” 

The Court went on to say that the ban on LCMs “reasonably supports California’s effort to reduce the devastating damage wrought by mass shootings.”

The plaintiffs in the high-capacity magazine case, the California Rifle & Pistol Association, did not immediately say whether it would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bonta is committed to keeping Californians safe, and does so by promoting and defending commonsense gun laws at the state and federal level: 

• In September, the Attorney General led a coalition of state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court defending New York’s law regulating when individuals may obtain a license to carry firearms in public. 

• In August, Bonta supported a Proposed Rule by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives that would help regulate ghost guns by clarifying the agency’s definition of what qualifies as a firearm. 

• The Attorney General has also urged Californians to use the state’s Gun Violence Restraining Order law to help keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others. Attorney General Bonta is currently defending the state’s assault weapons ban.

Thousands pray for Pakistani student slain at Texas high school

Photo by Ahmed Sharma

A prayer service was held prior to the funeral for Sabika Sheikh. 

By Ahmed Sharma
ASAM NEWS

SUNDAY (May 19) was a dark and dreary day in Texas. Rain poured heavily as cars raced to attend the funeral services for Sabika Sheikh, a Pakistani exchange student who was one of 10 killed during last week’s school shooting in Sante Fe, a small town outside Houston.

Thousands of Muslims gathered at Masjid As-Sabireen mosque in Stafford, a city about 19 miles away from Houston, to pay their respects. The overflow crowd prayed outside on the sidewalk.

As the prayers began, voices clamored to delay services a few more minutes so other people could find parking and join in. Despite a majority of the participants not knowing Sabika Sheikh, even the rain and scarce parking did not deter people from coming to pray for her.

Directly after the services, Sheikh’s body was carried to a hearse and taken to the airport, so that she may be buried in her hometown of Karachi, Pakistan.

SABIKA SHEIKH

A majority of the attendees did not know Sheikh but one volunteer said, “she has no family here except her host family and it happened here in our city so of course we will pay our respects. It is [part of] our [faith] and she is our daughter and our sister in Islam.”Among the attendees were dignitaries like Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Rep. Al Green.

A crowd formed inside the mosque as well to hear from Sheikh’s host family and friends. According to the host parents, they began fasting with Sabika Sheikh during the month of Ramadan. One of the daughters of the host family, Jaelyn Cogburn, fought through tears during her eulogy: 

“When I first started school, I didn’t know anyone. And I met Saika, and she didn’t know anyone either. And we became very close…She was so loyal to her faith and her country. And she loved everybody. She was the most amazing person I’d ever met, and I will always miss her.”

“Sabika’s case should become an example to change the gun laws,” Aziz Sheikh, Sabika’s father, told Reuters.  “I want this to become a base on which the people over there can stand and pass a law to deal with this. I’ll do whatever I can,” he said from Pakistan.

“One should not lose his heart by such kind of incidents,” he told the Associated Press. “One should not stop going for education to the U.S. or U.K., or China, or anywhere. One must go for education undeterred. But controlling such incidents is the responsibility of the respective governments.”

Sabika was in the U.S. as an exchange student under the YES program sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

Former Houston City Council member, M.J. Khan emceed the eulogies and prefaced by reminding everyone of the other nine children that were killed in the Santa Fe shooting and to offer prayers for them as well: 

“When you offer your prayers today, I know each and every one of you is mourning. Remember Aaron McLeod. Remember Christopher J. Stone. Remember Jared Black. Remember Christian Riley Garcia. Remember Angelique Ramirez. Remember Shauna Fisher. Remember Kimberly Vaughn. And the two teachers: Cynthia Tisdale and Glenda Perkins. And remember our beloved daughter, Sabika Sheikh.

After the Houston services, her body was sent home to Pakistan. Her father was at the Karachi  airport today (May 23) to receive her.

(Views from the Edge contributed to this report.)

_________________________________________________________________________________

Pakistani exchange student killed in Texas school shooting

SABIKA SHEIKH

ASAM NEWS

AN EXCHANGE STUDENTfrom Pakistan is among the 10 people killed when a gunman went on a shooting spree at Santa Fe High School near Houston Friday (May 18) morning.

The Pakistani Embassy in Washington D.C. confirmed that Sabika Sheikh has been identified among the nine students and one teacher killed, reports Gulf Today.

Sabina is one of 75 students from Pakistan to participate in the Youth Exchange and Study Abroad program.

“Please know that the YES programme is devastated by this loss and we will remember Sabika and her families in our thoughts and prayers,” Lysaght wrote.

Sheikh father found out about his daughter’s death watching the news in Pakistan on CNN, according to The News

“I kept calling her and sent her messages on WhatsApp. Never before had my daughter failed to reply,” said her tearful father, Abdul Aziz.

“We are still in a state of denial. It is like a nightmare.”

Actress Mindy Kaling expressed her condolences on Twitter.

Police have arrested 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis and have charged him with capital murder and aggravated assault. Authorities say he used guns -- a shotgun and a revolver -- he got from his father in the shooting spree.

The Texas shootings occurred months after a shooting rampage at Marjorie Douglas Stonman High School in Florida where 17 were killed.

The year is not even half over and already, there have been more deaths in US school shootings so far in 2018 than there have been deaths in the U.S. military, according to an analysis by the Washington Post.

Earlier this month Texas Gov. Greg Abbot, a Republican, spoke in front of the NRA convention and said,  "The problem is not guns, it's hearts without God," Abbott said at the time, according to The Texas Observer.

After the high school shooting, on Friday, Abbott called for gun laws . "We need to do more than just pray for the victims and their families," The governor will begin holding roundtable discussions next week with "stakeholders to begin to work immediately on swift solutions to prevent tragedies like these from ever happening again," according to the Dallas Morning News.

(Views From the Edge contributed to this report.)______________________________________________________________________________

March For Our Lives: The children shall lead us

BOSTON GLOBE

Petrina Chan took part in the March For Our Lives rally in Boston.

THE MARCH FOR OUR LIVES demonstrations and rallies occurred throughout the U.S. and in cities around the globe Sunday inspired by a gunman's rampage through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that took 17 lives.

Sen. Kamala Harris joined the students in the March For Our Lives.

"The students from Stoneman Douglas have turned their mourning into a movement — and I genuinely believe they have changed the conversation about gun violence in America," said California Sen. Kamala Harris.

"From here, we need to look to our youth for inspiration. They are teaching all of us so many lessons on activism and action in the face of tragedy. I wish Congressional leaders had their courage and determination to stand up to the gun lobby," said Harris, whose parents come from India and the Caribbean.

According to its website, March For Our Lives is created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country who will no longer risk their lives waiting for someone else to take action to stop the epidemic of mass school shootings that has become all too familiar. In the tragic wake of the seventeen lives brutally cut short in Florida, politicians are telling us that now is not the time to talk about guns. March For Our Lives believes the time is now. 

A half-century after Bob Dylan's iconic "The Times They Are A-Changin" inspired a generation of young people to march against the Vietnam War, for civil rights and question anybody over 30. the 60's anthem gained new meaning to the Baby Boomers' grandchildlren, young students who took part in the March for Our Lives Sunday (Mar. 24).

With the opening stanza, "Come gather now children wherever you are," the song was a perfect message to the young kids taking part in the gun-control demonstration. Sung by Jennifer Hudson, whose mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew were all shot dead in 2008,, the performnce was an emotional highlight to a day full of powerful moments. 

Parkland student Emma Gonzalez created a powerful statement with her silence at the Washington D.C. march. 

"Six minutes and about 20 seconds," Emma said, tears flowing down her cheeks. "In a little over 6 minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured and everyone in the Douglas community was forever altered."

So young, yet so meaninful speeches were given throughout thet day: Parkland student David Hogg: “We are going to make this the voting issue. We are going to take this to every election, to every state and every city. When politicians send their thoughts and prayers with no action, we say, ‘No more.’ And to those politicians supported by the NRA, that allow the continued slaughter of our children and our future, I say get your resumes ready.”

Fellow student Cameron Kasky read aloud the names of victims of the shooting, " We hereby promise to fix the broken system we’ve been forced into and create a better world for the generations to come. Don’t worry, we’ve got this,” Kasky said.

Martin Luther King's 9-year old granddaughter Yolanda King recalled her grandfather's famous "I Have A Dream" speech: “My grandfather had a dream that his four little children will not be judged by the color of the skin, but the content of their character. I have a dream that enough is enough."

“I am here today to acknowledge and represent the African-American girls whose stories don’t make the front page of every national newspaper. These stories don’t lead on the evening news,” said 11-year old Naomi Wadler at the Washington D.C. march.“My school will now always be remembered for what took place on Feb. 14, 2018,” said Leslie Chiu, a graduate of Stoneman Douglas who attends Northeastern University in Boston.

Her alma mater will be known, Chiu said, as the place that “started the movement that we are a part of today.”

“Our generation will carry with us the weight and burden of countless lives lost and we will take it upon ourselves to ensure that on their behalf that we are the last ones in this environment of daily shootings,” she said.

BEHIND THE SCENES

The Parkland students led the organizing but were soon joined by hundreds of incredible students across the country.

MIRASHAYE BASA

One of them is Mirashaye Basa, 18 of southern Indiana.

"I started becoming more politically aware after the 2016 presidential election. So many of the tragedies that we see in the news and on social media are becoming normalized, and that is not acceptable. There needs to be action. My good friend Eli and I are very passionate about music and theatre, so we decided to contribute to the March for Our Lives movement by using our talents to make a video that calls attention to those who have been affected by gun violence. 

"We proposed the idea at a March for Our Lives meeting and posted it on social media to help raise awareness," she said.

"As a high school student, sometimes it’s hard to find ways to make an impact on a large scale, but this movement has made me feel like anything is possible. The students in Parkland are so inspiring; they’ve used and continue to use their voices effectively. I hope the leaders of the country are influenced by the masses of people who demand action instead of the money they receive from interest groups. 

"In the future, I hope we have gun control so effective that we never have a mass shooting ever again."

MADISON PHAN

One of the biggest turnouts for the march was held in Los Angeles. One of the amazing student organizers was Madison "Madi" Phan., a jurnior at North Torrance Hhigh School.

Interviewed by Smart Girls, we learn that Madi has given a TED talk to kids in her district, been a member of ASB, and was a Girl Scout for six years. Currently, Madi is involved in her school’s theatre and dance program, on the student panel group, and is in GATE progr

In the future, Madi wants to be part of the film industry to give Asians and Asian-Americans more representation in Hollywood. She would also like to provide assistance to those in developing countries. 

Helping to make a change in society and the world is something Madi is passionate about and hopes for more amazing opportunities like participating in the March For Our Lives.

“Gun violence is something that impacts us all, whether directly or indirectly,” said Rhiannon Rasaretnam, a Seattle March For Our Lives organizer told the Seattle Times. “This is about us stepping up and not waiting for adults to take action on issues that risk our lives every single day.”

_____________________________________________________________________________