Some Asian Americans become first-time gun owners for protection amid the coronavirus

For 25 years since he immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 18, Jeffrey Lau never felt he needed to purchase a firearm. But the coronavirus outbreak changed his mind: he bought his first gun in early March to protect his family.

To slow the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, public health orders have been keeping people indoors, causing businesses to struggle and the loss of jobs. Food and supplies have run out in stores regularly. Many worry chaos and violence would ensue in the event of mass panic.

And as COVID-19 spreads across the country, so does misinformation and xenophobia. Rhetoric from some politicians, including President Donald Trump, fueled the scapegoating of Asians of bringing the virus to the United States.

In just a week’s time, an online reporting center recorded nearly 700 discriminatory acts against Asian Americans in the U.S. Many, including women, elderly and children, were verbally harassed. Some were spit on, shunned or attacked at stores. Fearful of becoming the next target, some have chosen to arm themselves to protect their family.

How many Asian Americans are purchasing firearms is hard to tell, as surveys of gun ownership don’t usually track the number of Asian American buyers separately, according to The Trace, a nonprofit focusing on U.S. gun violence. But gun store owners in other regions like Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley saw a sharp rise in the number of Asian customers.

Sacramento-area firearm stores told The Sacramento Bee that sales are up across the board, not just from Asian American customers.

William Creighton, owner of Last Stand Readiness and Tactical in South Sacramento, saw a diverse mix of buyers. While his store also sells other products such as water filtration and first-aid supplies, the average sales have tripled since the first week of March.

Creighton believes people are worried about the possibility of street violence.

“We are all in the same difficult position when our economy is being wrecked,” he said.

Racism ‘became worse’ due to coronavirus

Lau lives in Elk Grove with his wife and two children. In 25 years of living in the U.S., he never felt a strong urge to own a gun. But Lau said Trump’s labeling of the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” has led to heightened discrimination against Asian Americans. Last week, Lau said the staff at a local retailer refused to help him move his purchases to his car. In his many years of being a customer there, the staff has always been helpful.

Lau noted the surging number of hate crimes across the country. “Racism has always existed, but it became worse after that (COVID-19). People now feel emboldened to do (discriminatory acts),” Lau said in Cantonese.

“I cannot stall any more. I see the need to protect and defend my family,” he said.

But Asian Americans had historically low rates of gun ownership, according to Asian Fortune News. Taehyun Kim, mass communications professor at California State University, Northridge, explained the historical and cultural context of guns in Asia.

According to Kim, guns conjured a negative image. They were used by colonizers or western merchants as a “weapon of oppression,” forcing some Asian countries to open their borders. Martial arts – techniques that require years of practice – were more respected than using guns during combat at that time.

In modern days, many worry about “mass shootings” when thinking about immigration or study abroad, Kim said.

And contrary to the U.S., some Asian countries have heavily restricted and regulated gun laws, so private citizens are often not entitled to own firearms, Kim said, adding that gun-related violent crimes are extremely rare.

“When people don’t have a gun before, or haven’t experienced extremely panicking situations, (getting firearms) will be the last thing they think about,” he said.

But fear in times of the coronavirus has gripped people in a way that made some to act differently. The recent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes – possibly fueled by Trump repeatedly using the term “Chinese virus” – shows how people were taking out on Asians, or anyone who looks Chinese, to find someone to blame for the pandemic, Kim said.

As a parent and being Asian, Kim said he understood why many will be “panicking about safety.”

“Maybe this is their last resort,” he said.

A responsibility to defend ourselves

Bay Area residents Chin Chan and Tang Ng are also first-time buyers. They bought firearms in mid-March at a store in Daly City, just a few days before many stores closed or were carrying out “minimum basic operations,” as firearms were not declared essential by state government officials. California Gov. Gavin Newsom later deferred the decision to sheriff’s offices of all 58 counties.

Chan struggled on his decision to buy a firearm, knowing that possessing a gun means a huge responsibility and using it could cause trauma. But, like Lau, Chan and Ng bought them for protection.

“In an emergency you don’t have time to think it through,” he said.

Ng said it is important to “have a dialogue with those who harassed Asians for bringing the virus to the country” and to debunk misinformation with facts.

“We have a responsibility to stand up, explain and defend ourselves,” he said in Cantonese.

According to Chan, firearms have been in demand since the coronavirus spread became a pandemic: A salesperson at a chain retailer said they visited prior to Daly City told them that all the firearms were sold out since early March. He and Ng had to wait three hours to take a test for firearm safety in a Santa Clara store, with around 40 people in line ahead of them – 10 times the usual headcount on regular days, Chan said, citing the store owner.

And it’s not just firearm stores that ran out: the shortage of supplies, food and hygiene essentials like hand sanitizers in supermarkets and pharmacies also made many Americans feel unsafe. Many fear looting and violence in the event of mass panic, according to Jonathan Lam, a business owner in Sacramento who immigrated to the U.S. when he was 14. He guided Lau and Ng on how to obtain firearms safely and legally.

Another reason why Asian Americans felt the need to guard themselves is the robberies and thefts targeting Asians on Stockton Boulevard, which was fueled by the stereotype and mistaken beliefs that all Asians are rich, industrious workers, Lam said. Some of Lam’s friends have been held at gunpoint.

Lam said the scapegoating led some Asian Americans to feel like they are left to fend for themselves.

“We feel like the leader’s decisions are not in our favor. They are not protecting us,” Lam said, citing the president’s tweets. “We all demand correct, right information from our leader so we can follow.”

“We shouldn’t be hating each other or fearing of (COVID-19). We should be united and stick together because overall we are in the same boat together.”