In November 2019, the Hmong community suffered a great tragedy: a mass shooting that killed four Hmong men, injured 6 others, and devastated many more families. Unfortunately, news outlets like CNN uncouthly reported that it was “another milestone” in our community; CNN erroneously said it was our “first mass shooting.” Law enforcement quickly assumed it was gang-related and launched a gang taskforce in Fresno, CA. As citizens in a country with a gun homicide rate that is 25 times that of other high-income countries, we know it was not our first mass shooting and it was not a milestone.
Just a month later, in December 2019, an elder Hmong man was shot multiple times by officers responding to a domestic dispute at his home. So how do we ensure safety for all people, especially within our Hmong community when we are deemed perpetual foreigners and are also fervent gun owners? How do we change the narrative? We know everyone may not agree with us, but we envision a safe world where assault weapons are not readily accessible and safe gun owners are all treated the same regardless of their race.
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