On National Gun Violence Prevention Day, the choice in this election couldn’t be more clear: while President Biden and Vice President Harris have supported the AANHPI community through some of their darkest moments, Donald Trump fanned the flames of anti-Asian hate and continues to bow to the gun lobby — and AANHPI voters will once again be the margin of victory that leads to his defeat in November. In the wake of several mass shootings that have devastated families and stoked fear driven by waves of hate crimes and xenophobic rhetoric, AANHPI voters demand action on gun violence now more than ever.

As AANHPI communities across the country deal with the horrors of gun violence, President Biden and Vice President Harris have mourned alongside them and have taken historic action to curb the epidemic. 

Politico: “Biden mourns with families of California shooting victims and moves to close gun loophole”

“A solemn President Joe Biden signed an executive order to close gun registration loopholes as he delivered what amounted to a eulogy for 11 people shot to death as they celebrated the Lunar New Year in a Southern California suburb.

Washington Post: “Biden and Harris visit Atlanta after shooting rampage, vowing to stand against racism and xenophobia”

Politico: “Biden to announce first-ever federal office of gun violence prevention”

CNN: “President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law the first major federal gun safety legislation passed in decades, marking a significant bipartisan breakthrough on one of the most contentious policy issues in Washington.”

During the pandemic, Trump fanned the flames of anti-Asian hate, which was followed by an uptick in violent attacks against the community including the 2021 Atlanta spa shooting — where six of the eight victims were Asian American. 

ABC News: “Trump’s ‘Chinese Virus’ tweet helped lead to rise in racist anti-Asian Twitter content: Study”

“The Asian American community has experienced a striking rise in incidents of hate since the onset of COVID-19, according to officials and advocates, and critics say the former president’s repeated use of ‘China Virus’ and other terms helped fuel an environment of hatred.”

[…]

“Researchers also found that the timing of the former president’s tweet was significant. The first time he used ‘ChineseVirus’ was March 16, 2020, and the following week saw an increase in anti-Asian hashtags and a rise in hate crimes. ”

New York Times: “Trump Defends Using ‘Chinese Virus’ Label, Ignoring Growing Criticism”

NBC News: “Trump can’t claim ‘Kung Flu’ doesn’t affect Asian Americans in this climate, experts say”

Addressing gun violence has been a top issue for AANHPI voters when they head to the ballot box.

NBC News: “Early polling first shared with NBC News shows that gun violence is a top issue for Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in Virginia ahead of the state’s November elections, in which parties will spar for legislative control. 

“Nationally, health care, the economy and education have long ranked among the most critical issues for AAPI to decide their votes. The community’s high focus on gun violence — ranking second as an issue in the poll — is significant, potentially aligning with a larger shift across the U.S.”

APIA Vote: “Asian American respondents ranked health care (88%), jobs and the economy (86%), crime (85%), education (82%), gun control (73%) and the environment (75%) as ‘extremely important’ or ‘very important’ issues for deciding their votes in November.”

Giffords Law Center: “Furthermore, 57% of Asian parents are concerned about their children being killed by gun violence, just behind Black parents (58%) and in stark contrast to 33% of white parents.”

Trump is the self-proclaimed biggest fan of the NRA — and continues to cozy up to the gun lobby, with promises to double down on NRA-friendly policies in a second term.

Trump: “There’s no bigger fan of the NRA [than me].”

Rolling Stone: “Trump on Iowa School Shooting: ‘Get Over It’”

NBC News: “Trump says mass shootings are not ‘a gun problem’ as 2024 GOP hopefuls pledge loyalty to the NRA”

The Hill: “The White House on Monday issued a statement warning that President Trump would veto proposed legislation to enhance background checks for gun purchases if it passes the House and Senate.”

New York Times: “In the face of N.R.A. opposition, [Trump] has also retreated from his earlier openness to expanded background checks and a renewal of the expired ban on assault weapons.”

Politico: “Donald Trump told National Rifle Association members on Friday that ‘no one will lay a finger on your firearms’ if he wins the presidency, vowing to roll back Biden-era gun restrictions.

Beyond the horrific mass shootings in Georgia and California, the AANHPI community is reeling from an uptick in gun violence. 

Giffords Law Center: “In fact, gun violence is up among API communities, and firearm suicides are taking an ever-increasing toll as the compounding effects of COVID-19 and race-based discrimination have exacerbated mental health concerns.

“From 2018 to 2022, the Asian American gun death rate, the gun homicide rate, and the gun suicide rate rose similarly (9.5%, 11.8%, and 10.8%, respectively). For Pacific Islanders, the total gun death rate rose 11.0% and gun homicide rate increased by 6.6%. Contrastingly, the national gun death rate rose 19.0% during the same period, but the increase was driven mostly by a 38% rise in gun homicides. Firearm suicides rose only 8.6% nationally.”