A crowd including many Asian Americans listened intently as President Joe Biden said something about each of the 11 murdered victims of the Monterey Park shooting Tuesday.
“Mr. Ma, age 72. A pillar of the community. A beloved manager and dance instructor at Star Ballroom. He’d walk patrons to their cars at night. Helped new immigrants find jobs,” the President began during a visit to the Boys and Girls Club of Monterey Park.
“All of them lived lives of love, sacrifice, and service for their families, for their community. They represent a bigger story of who we are as Americans, embodying the simple truth that our diversity — our diversity is the strength of this nation,” the president concluded after reading all 11 names.
Minutes later, he announced an executive order calling for greater enforcement of requiring gun sellers to conduct background checks, improving support for victim families and enhancing red flag laws that enable courts to order the temporary removal of guns from people considered a danger.
Many in the Asian American community greeted the announcement with approval.
“He (Monterey Park gunman Huu Can Tran) should never of had a weapon that was made for war, nor should have the shooters in Half Moon Bay, Buffalo, Uvalde,” said Rep. Judy Chu, (D-Pasadena), reported the Pasadena Star News. “This carnage must end and that’s why we must pass a national assault rifle weapons ban.”
Brandon Tsay, who grabbed the gun from the shooter before he could cause more carnage at a second dance hall that night, greeted the President at the airport with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Tsay also joined Biden at the auditorium for his remarks, , the Daily Mail reported.
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“It’s so tragic that these moments of celebration end up being moments of despair and destruction,” said Po Murray of the Newtown Action Alliance who also was in Monterey Park with the President. “It’s unfortunate that we’re being attacked on a daily basis and Congress is sitting idle with no sense of urgency. Particularly when guns are now the number leading cause of death for our children and teens,” she said to ABC7 News.
The AAPI Victory Alliance also issued a statement in support of Biden’s action.
“The need for increased gun violence prevention and gun safety legislation grows more important each day. So we look forward to how these preventative measures positively impact our AAPI communities and aid in addressing our country’s gun violence epidemic,” the group said in a statement mailed to AsAmNews.
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