A gunman opened fire at an outlet mall in the Dallas suburb of Allen, Texas on Saturday afternoon claiming the lives of eight and counting. Our Asian communities are under attack. The attack in Allen, Texas, located in Collin County, has a nearly 20% AAPI population. During a month when we should be celebrating our community’s vibrant and diverse heritage, we are instead mourning the loss of Asian American community members in a senseless attack.
Instead of supporting what we’re asking for – gun safety legislation which 83% of AAPIs support, Texas statewide leaders are blaming mental health alone. The reality is that our state’s lax gun laws allowed someone who sympathizes with Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists to easily get a gun and kill and injure over a dozen people. We need the state legislature to take immediate action on gun reform that will make our communities safer, such as passing HB 2744, which would increase the age to buy a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21.
Asian Texans for Justice calls on local law enforcement to exhaust all measures to determine whether the gunman was truly a lone actor or if he worked in concert with other individuals or organizations who aided and abetted these horrendous actions.
Violence against Asian communities continues throughout the country and the AAPI community has made it loud and clear – we will not be silent as we lose more of our community to gun violence.
We urge Governor Abbott and the Texas Legislature to focus their priorities on issues that better serve Asian and Pacific Islander Texans, and keep all Texans safe.
In solidarity,
Lily Trieu
Interim Executive Director
Asian Texans for Justice