AAPI community leaders seek solutions...

urgency toward stronger legislation that makes it harder for the wrong people to get guns occurred almost immediately in the aftermath of the Monterey Park shooting.

“No one policy will solve this issue, but an assault weapons ban will dramatically reduce these mass shootings,” said Po Murray, co-founder and chairwoman of gun control group Newtown Action Alliance and Newtown Action Alliance Foundation.

Murray also stressed the importance of stronger restrictions and practices in purchasing firearms in general. Currently, lawmakers in the U.S. Congress are pushing for safer storage solutions for firearms and permit requirements to purchase guns.

In addition to gun control legislation, Asian American community leaders also believe that mental health should a priority and that counseling services for Asian immigrants should be more accessible.

A Stanford University panel in 2022 stated that in one study, less than 9% of Asian Americans sought mental health services or intervention over one year compared to 18% of the entire U.S. population.

It’s unconfirmed whether either the Monterey Park or Half Moon Bay shooter was diagnosed with a mental disorder, but mental health is a usual suspect in mass shooting investigations.

Dr. Brett Sevilla, a Filipino American medical director at the Los Angeles-based Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers (APCTC), told Ethnic Media Services that elderly Asian immigrants are not as likely to prioritize mental health counseling as a solution.

“Plenty of elderly Asian immigrants have