Texas Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond to Shooting at Dallas Salon

DALLAS, Texas — The Texas chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after a shooter opened fire at a hair salon in Dallas’ Koreatown, leaving at least three people wounded  — all of whom were Korean women. According to initial reports, police are still investigating the shooter’s motive, but this shooting falls against a national backdrop of fear in the AAPI community. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, hate crimes and violence targeting the AAPI community have surged. Even as the pandemic has taken new shape, fear and uncertainty — particularly for AAPI women, remains top of mind.

“Our hearts break for all of those impacted by yesterday’s shooting,” said Lih-Lan Hu, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “While we wait for more details to emerge, we know that debating the shooter’s motive does nothing to alleviate the pain and fear that Asian Americans are feeling as a result of attacks like this one. We must do more to disarm hate and put an end to the plague of gun violence in our communities.”

Reports of attacks on Asian Americans have continued into 2022. According to the State of Safety Survey, 71% of AANHPI women report feeling anxious or stressed due to fear of discrimination, harassment, or violence, and 40% report feeling more unsafe today as compared to start of COVID-19 pandemic.  

In the middle of AAPI Heritage Month, this shooting serves as yet another heartbreaking reminder of the hate that the AAPI community is subjected to every single day. While stopping this epidemic of hate requires undoing generations of racism, xenophobia, and misogyny, policymakers at every level must prioritize ending our nation’s gun violence epidemic and taking action on hate motivated violence.