Gun Sales Soar Among Asian-Americans After Virus-Related Attacks

The threat of Covid-19 hate crimes across the country is surging this week as Asian Americans in San Gabriel Valley, a region east of Los Angeles, are loading up on weapons as concerns they could be targeted. 

CBS Los Angeles reported this week that gun sales among Asians are rising in San Gabriel Valley as they believe the pandemic could trigger hate crimes against them. 

David Liu, the owner of Arcadia Firearm & Safety, said gun sales have jumped in the last two weeks as the virus crisis worsens in California. 

“Because of coronavirus, a lot of people start to worry,” Liu said.

CBS Los Angeles said there’s a high concentration of Asians near the Arcadia gun store. Liu said many of his customers are stocking up on weapons because they fear they might be targeted because of their ethnicity if a local virus outbreak is to occur.

“I do worry,” said Daniel Lim, who recently bought a gun and ammo for his wife at Arcadia. 

Lim said he bought the gun to defend his family amid fears the virus could crash the stock market and economy and lead to massive social unrest where Asians would be targeted. “I hope and pray it never happens,” he said.

Lim isn’t the only Asian American in the community, thinking that a purge is coming if the virus crisis gets out of hand. “We think it’s the perfect time to get a weapon for ourselves,” said another Arcadia customer, Dirk Zhang, adding that his wife would never allow a gun in the house until now. 

“She’s a little afraid of the outbreak of the virus,” he said.

We noted on Monday that the first possible coronavirus-related hate crime in America, where an Asian man was stabbed numerous times, all caught on camera, occurred on a Brooklyn, New York street. 

As confirmed virus cases are expected to be in the thousands in the weeks ahead, coronavirus anxiety is sweeping the country and could lead to social destabilization. Asians in California are preparing for a purge, and they’re now loading up on weapons as hate crime fears increase.