We use cookies on this website. By continuing to use this site without changing your cookie settings, you agree that you are happy to accept our privacy policy and for us to access our cookies on your device.
Transcript/ScriptUS Minorities / Gun Ownership - Apte
HEADLINE: Surge in Gun Ownership Among Minorities in US
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 04/28/2022 AT 8:25am
BYLINE: Aunshuman Apte
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: New York
VIDEOGRAPHER: Aunshuman Apte
VIDEO EDITOR: Aunshuman Apte
SCRIPT EDITORS: KE(1st), BR
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original | VOA Urdu Service, see courtesies
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:02
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[More members of minority groups in the United States are buying guns as the fear of violence and crime increases. VOA’s Aunshuman Apte in New York spoke with some minority gun owners to learn more about why they bought their weapons.]]
((NARRATOR))
Traditionally, most gun owners in the U.S. were white men who live in rural parts of the country.
But that’s now changing as more members of minority groups are buying guns.
At Jimmy’s Sports Shop in Long Island, New York, owner Jay Zeng has noticed the change.
((Jay Zeng, Gun Store Owner)) ((Male in English))
“A lot of Asian people come here and buy firearms because we are here, we have to help and now they know, oh, we can buy guns too as long as we are legal citizens here in New York.”
((NARRATOR))
Zeng adds Asians are coming to his shop in part because they’re scared by the COVID-driven rise in violence against the Asian American community.
But it’s not just Asian Americans.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, in 2020 gun ownership increased by 58.2% among African Americans and 49% among Hispanics.
((NARRATOR)) ((Mandatory Courtesy: “Damon Finch”))
Damon Finch, a firearms instructor in Newburgh, New York also says the fear of violence is the motivating factor.
((Damon Finch, Firearms Instructor)) ((Male in English)) ((SKYPE))
“The issues of George Floyd incidents, Black Lives Matter incidents and of course COVID, where many people felt somewhat vulnerable and the fact that they owned this instrument but didn’t know how to properly use it. So, they seek that opportunity to learn more about it.”
((NARRATOR))
Pink Pistols, a group of gun owners who belong to the Gay, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender community, says their membership has also increased in recent years.
((Aaron Grossman, Boston Pink Pistols)) ((Male in English)) ((SKYPE))
“The folks that have been reaching out, some of them are for the fear of crime directed towards them because they are in the queer community. Some of them are just because they see the state of the world all around with respect to increased crime in some areas, especially in the last year or so.”
((NARRATOR))
Of the estimated 400 million guns in the United States, 98 percent are in civilian hands.
That comes at a huge cost in human lives.
More than 45 thousand people died from gun related injuries in the U.S. in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gun control advocates point to landmark research from the New England Journal of Medicine that drew a clear link between guns in the home and an increased chance of gun violence.
David Yamane studies American gun culture.
((David Yamane, Wake Forest University)) ((Male in English)) ((SKYPE))
“If they aren’t familiar with proper gun handling, if they are really new to guns and don’t know how to use them properly, we could see an uptick in accidental shootings.”
((NARRATOR))
Yamane adds there is no evidence to suggest that more legal gun ownership reduces crime.
Yet gun ownership in the U.S. continues to rise as more people decide that having a gun will help keep them and their families safe, no matter their race or identity.
((Aunshuman Apte – VOA NEWS - New York))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Aunshuman Apte
Embargo DateApril 28, 2022 17:58 EDT
Byline((Aunshuman Apte – VOA NEWS - New York))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
