Why more people of color are buying guns
By the numbers: The initial surge in firearms purchases was in part driven by the pandemic as fear and uncertainty set in, according to Mark Oliva, spokesperson for the firearm industry trade association National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Retailer surveys conducted by NSSF showed that between 2019 and 2020, there was a...
What they're saying: With anti-Asian hate crimes splashed across the news every day, many Asian Americans felt that their only option was to turn to firearms, said Chris Cheng, founding board member of the Asian Pacific American Gun Owners Association.
The big picture: That more people of color are exercising their Second Amendment rights could spell trouble for Democrats, who already suffered losses among these demographics in key battleground states in 2020.
By the numbers: The initial surge in firearms purchases was in part driven by the pandemic as fear and uncertainty set in, according to Mark Oliva, spokesperson for the firearm industry trade association National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Retailer surveys conducted by NSSF showed that between 2019 and 2020, there was a...
- 58% increase in African Americans buying guns.
- 49% increase in Hispanic Americans buying guns.
- 43% increase in Asian Americans buying firearms.
What they're saying: With anti-Asian hate crimes splashed across the news every day, many Asian Americans felt that their only option was to turn to firearms, said Chris Cheng, founding board member of the Asian Pacific American Gun Owners Association.
- "It was an awakening for Asian Americans to say, 'How do I avoid becoming the next Atlanta spa shooting victim?'" Cheng said.
- If officers are "taking part in what is essentially state-sponsored violence, certainly you're not going to be relying on the state to protect you," Jefferson said. Over 10,000 people have joined NAAGA in the last two years, he said.
- Many come from countries with high crime rates and have firsthand experience with underfunded police, she added. "It's like, 'For me to pursue my dreams, I need to make sure that I stay alive,'" Franco told Axios. That means making the most of the rights they may not have had in their home countries.
- Because they're more likely to be perceived as a threat due to stereotypes around race, "it creates this kind of complication where folks want to be able to protect themselves ... but then exercising that right could have very real and in fact deadly consequences."
- Jefferson, however, pointed out that for Black Americans, exercising any right is a risk.
The big picture: That more people of color are exercising their Second Amendment rights could spell trouble for Democrats, who already suffered losses among these demographics in key battleground states in 2020.
