Newtown Action Alliance and other activist groups are asking the Asian American community to resist gun companies' sales pitch. They claim those companies are exploiting a rise in hate crimes to sell their products.
They site a report from the Violence Policy Center.
During a news conference on the topic, Gloria Pan, Vice President of MomsRising said Asian Americans traditionally have a low rate of gun ownership.
"That the gun industry is now targeting our community as a lucrative new market is incredibly troubling," says Pan. "Because, as we have seen over and over again, more guns mean more gun-related injury and death."
Hate crimes against Asian Americans have surged during the pandemic, and the activists blame what they consider to be irresponsible political rhetoric.
"The use of terms like 'Kung Flu' and the 'China Virus' were the direct cause of the sharp rise in hate and violence against our community," says Varun Nikore of AAPI Victory Alliance.
Mike Song of Guilford, whose son Ethan was killed while playing with guns at a friend's home, is pleading with the Asian American not to fall for the pitch. He says guns in the home are much more likely to kill a resident by murder, suicide or accident than to be used successfully for self-defense.
"Ethan dreamed of going to South Korea because he wanted to explore his Korean heritage," says Song. "All cut short because a neighbor decided that guns are fun, guns are cool, no need to secure them, and that they're going to somehow going make everyone's life better."