While progressives push for more government control over our Second Amendment rights, Chinese immigrants who were never able to own a gun in their homeland are rejoicing over this newfound freedom.
The Los Angeles Times recently reported on a gun shop in California’s City of Industry that has seen a surge of Chinese immigrant gun buyers. Gun Effects, a firearms store housed in a City of Industry strip mall that is also home to a boba tea spot, a massage parlor and a Taiwanese restaurant, is owned by a Chinese immigrant and has two Chinese-speaking employees.
Dennis Lin, the store’s owner, says that about a year ago, Chinese customers started flooding his business. Now, about two out of five customers are Chinese.
The trend represents a major shift for the Asian-Americans, which have the lowest rates of gun ownership among all demographics, according to 2008 exit polls.
The Asian-American community in South Sacramento has similarly started to pack heat in response to a surge in violent crime. According to the Sacramento Bee, at least 300 to 400 Chinese immigrants in Sacramento have been victimized in 2016 alone, and the community is faced with a serious choice: fight back or flee. Thankfully, they are fighting back.
Los Angeles is no different. The Los Angeles Times reported in July that violent crime in the Southland has continued to rise, with a mid-year increase of nearly 16 percent. Faced with this threat, it’s no wonder why Chinese have started to pack heat, even if it is foreign to their culture.
Lin often has to remind his Chinese customers that guns are legal in the US and even had to tell one customer that the police wouldn’t “try to get him” for owning a gun.
Private gun ownership is essentially banned in China, with the exception of those who own hunting permits. Even then, the guns may only be used for hunting. The punishment for illegal gun sales or possession is severe, ranging from 3 years in prison to the death penalty. Even airsoft guns face strict regulations.
The story serves as an important reminder of how the Second Amendment is a freedom that many natural born citizens take for granted. Our Founding Fathers understood the connection between guns and freedom. Guns are our last resort against tyranny and an important equalizer against criminals.
While progressives have used cultural skepticism toward guns to try to breed anti-gun sentiments among this notoriously liberal demographic – 87 percent voted for Hillary Clinton in the last election – the curiosity of Chinese-Americans is defying trends and crossing cultural boundaries.
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of Guns.com.
