Delaina Ashley Yaun (33)
Xiaojie Tan (49)
Daoyou Feng (44)
Paul Andre Michels (54)
Elcias R Hernández-Ortiz (30)
Hyung Jung Grant (51)
Soon Chung Park (54)
Suncha Kim (69)
Yong Ae Yue (63)
These are all the victims in last week’s mass shootings in Atlanta, courtesy of BBC. Most of the time after a tragic event, we learn about the identity of the perpetrator first and then the victims. At least in my article, I wanted to highlight all the victims’ names and honor them with respect.
The news of the mass shootings came as a shock. It was very close to home this time. We had just moved to Atlanta for a fresh start and this event shook me. I was numb the entire day. I had not informed my parents or my grandmother, who recently came to America to visit us. I was so anxious myself, I did not want to worry my parents. But news travels fast, and my mom got informed by my aunt who lives overseas. My aunt was devastated, crying on the phone, asking about our safety, warning us not to go outside even during day time.
This should not be happening.
As Asian immigrants, we all came to America for a better future. For a better education. For better jobs. For a better life. Not to be anxious about our life. Not to be scared to go out. Not to be alert about our surroundings even when we are out. These recent crimes against elderly Asian women all across the country were an awakening call. At first, I was just scared and disturbed. But now I am angry. We’ve had enough and you will hear us!
Getting a gun in America is easier than getting healthcare in America. In the state of Georgia, no license, background check, or firearms registration is required to buy a gun (according to the Georgia Concealed Carry Gun Laws, USCCA CCW Reciprocity Map). Any 18-year-old in Georgia can just walk up to a firearm store and buy a gun. People can also openly carry it around with a Weapons Carry License(WCL). Robert Aaron Long, the murderer of the Atlanta mass shooting, is just 21 years old. A 21-year-old was able to purchase a gun and then murder nine people. If that sentence alone does not make you enraged, please check your privilege.
And if the Atlanta mass shooting did not wake you up, then the recent mass shooting this week in Boulder, Colorado should. Not even a week later, and we already have another mass shooting in America. USA Today confirmed that on March 22, 2021 10 people were murdered in Boulder, Colorado. The murderer had an AR-15, that would have been banned in Boulder laws, but a judge blocked it in March 16, 2021, according to The New York Times. An assault weapon that should have been banned to prevent such mass shootings, was used to murder 10 people, while they were doing their normal errand-runs at a grocery store. This just goes to show how imperative it is to make gun laws stricter. President Joe Biden is demanding that Congress act quickly to ban such assault weapons and reform gun laws so that no such tragedy like this can occur again.
I wanted to finish with a hopeful message, but in reality, there is none. All we can do right now is sign petitions and let our local representatives and state senators know that we need stricter gun control. The son of Hyung Jung Grant, one of the victims in the Atlanta mass shooting, shared a very painful and sad message regarding his mom’s untimely death via Instagram. One sentence from his message that will forever haunt me is, “She’ll never get to see my brother and I get married, own homes, graduate college, and see her grandchildren.” It is up to our generation to make sure no mother ever again misses out on the amazing milestones of her children due to the systemic failure of the American government.