Aaron Smith, a seasoned reporter who covers the firearms industry, writes in Forbes in the wake of the Atlanta-area massage parlor shootings that there’s an Asian-American gun culture springing up alongside an increase in hate crimes against them.
Asian-Americans are buying guns for protection from hate crimes https://t.co/mZl0KzBf9g pic.twitter.com/4J2HVgDyy4
— Forbes (@Forbes) March 18, 2021
During the anti-Asian hate crime spree, Asian-Americans have become a more familiar sight in gun shops, as they mingle among the millions of Americans who are buying guns for the first time.
“We have a lot of Asian-American customers buying guns,” said Jerry Hwang, a salesman at Wade’s Eastside Guns in Bellevue, Washington. “They’re coming because of the pandemic and the riots, of people messing with stores and messing with people’s property.”
He said they’re buying semiautomatic pistols and rifles, which have proven popular in gun stores across the country as sales have surged to record heights during the pandemic.
“They’re buying basic Glocks and AR-15s, basically for self-defense,” he said.
The riots? Who here is seasoned enough to remember the L.A. riots?
Rooftop Koreans.
Look it up.?— Ge??♀️rge Wept (@GeorgeWept) March 18, 2021
They are back!! pic.twitter.com/VaSzMDZs6C
— Sr Vicio (@vicio_sr) March 18, 2021
Nature is healing.
— darthwilhelm (@darthwilhelm1) March 18, 2021
Embrace tradition pic.twitter.com/ne7wQrVbWO
— ?? Magnus Panvidya ?? (@MagnusPanvidya) March 18, 2021
They returned when the world needed them most pic.twitter.com/soFD31uaVt
— ActivistZero (@ActivistZero) March 18, 2021
Rooftop Koreans are my favorite Koreans.
— Caveman Deetz (@tahDeetz) March 18, 2021
Hell yeah rooftop Koreans ??
— whiskyunicorn? (@whiskyunicorn1) March 18, 2021
We are just going to gloss over the most 2A photo of all time? pic.twitter.com/vnE0WzHBaj
— Lax Coach Guy (@LaxCoachGuy) March 18, 2021
Roof Koreans 2: this time it's personal!
— Cluckmyster (@the_cluckmyster) March 18, 2021
Roof? Koreans?
— some guy wearing a mask (@john_ditullio) March 18, 2021
I remember seeing footage from the L.A. Riots where morons attempted to steal from Korean businesses. Many of those Koreans had already served their mandatory military service in Korea and were quite familiar with how to use them effectively.
— Soquel by the Creek (@SoquelCreek) March 18, 2021
My only thought at this news is "The Boys Are Back in Town" playing over footage of the LA Riots.
— SenseiGorudostein (@JaquimJamalson) March 18, 2021
— Steve (@longblockchain) March 18, 2021
Based. pic.twitter.com/pLJE1VjqmW
— Shadz (@Shadzey1) March 18, 2021
Good. I remember the LA riots.
— Preston Dunn (@Itsecondummy) March 18, 2021
Glad to see it.
— Mike ? (@mike_r_) March 18, 2021
Good for them. This is the appropriate response.
— JCaesar (@JCaesar007) March 18, 2021
I live in L.A., where Asian-Americans have been buying arms for quite a while now, for reasons the mainstream media might prefer not to discuss. And I support them 100%. #2A https://t.co/eZcsYlQihT
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) March 18, 2021
All the Asians I know have been strapped for years. Nothing new.
— Jaime Nieves ???? (@JaimeNieves87) March 18, 2021
Dude, since February the gun stores have been wall to wall Asians. Everytime I try to buy ammo, Asians. Last week while waiting in line to buy targets, two 70? yr old Chinese ladies behind me. Every shooting class or match I attend almost 1/2 Asian. They aren’t fools.
— ThePragmatist (@ThePragmatist5) March 18, 2021
Alternative headline:
Asian-Americans are exercising their right to bear arms as Americans
— Chris (@tryhardniinja) March 18, 2021
Y’all must have never been to a rural gun range. Asian’s have been armed. Usually with some awesome hardware too
— Charlie Walker (@chuckfinn334) March 18, 2021
I 100% support this.
— Kevin Parker (@KParkour) March 18, 2021
That's kind of why I have firearms too.
— my name is mudd (@thmsbowen) March 18, 2021
Everybody should be buying guns to protect themselves from any crimes.
— meme king bastard charles khan (@masked_bastard) March 18, 2021
Good. Arm everyone.
— hibiscus_california (@hibiscuscalifo1) March 18, 2021
People buying guns to protect themselves from criminal behavior. Remind me, which political party is against that again?
— Jon (@faroutmadman) March 18, 2021
Remember this the next time Forbes talks about guns
— Cancerous-Cobalt (@AgentCobalt1) March 18, 2021
Who’d have thought that hate crimes — and a summer of riots and looting and movements to defund the police — would inspire Asian-Americans to arm themselves?
Related:
Compare and contrast: Who has a problem with these armed black business owners guarding their property from rioters? https://t.co/D6CSMWIuyQ
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 28, 2020
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