Lunar New Year is a time dedicated to luck and good fortune. Unfortunately, that was not the case on Jan. 22 in Monterey Park, CA, when a gunman opened fire at a dance hall near the community’s Lunar New Year festival. The city, in Southern California, is predominantly Asian American.
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Lunar New Year festival brought in more than 100,000 people across Southern California, per NPR. The advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate said in a statement that “this tremendous act of violence” had occurred on “one of the most important days of the year for many Asian Americans.” (This year, for the first time, Lunar New Year is an official state holiday in California.)
With 11 dead and another 10 injured, the shooting is the deadliest in the United States since the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, representing the largest loss of life in a mass elementary-school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012, leaving 21 dead, including 19 children. And that horrific loss came just 10 days after a shooter killed 10 people in a racially motivated attack at a Buffalo, NY, supermarket. It’s also worth mentioning the Club Q attack in Colorado Springs in November 2022 and the University of Virginia shooting in December 2022.
More than 600 mass shootings took place in the United States in 2022 alone, per the Gun Violence Archive. The vast majority of these home-grown terrorists – because they are terrorists – are white men (Rockefeller reports that more than 95 percent of mass shooters are male and almost 55 percent are white). The ACLU of New York has highlighted the ways in which white supremacy and patriarchy (two inherently violent structures) cross-pollinate and contribute to these kinds of attacks.
But gun control is another major issue, with many governments unable to pass meaningful gun reforms due to ongoing gridlocks in Congress, per CBS. The issue is particularly frustrating as mass shooters are increasingly using semiautomatic (or comparable) weapons to kill their victims, and these weapons are often bought legally, per USA Today.
Every single mass shooting in the United States is another reminder that this country has not done nearly enough to address the largely preventable issue of gun violence. Since the start of 2023, the United States has witnessed 37 mass shootings, and it’s not even February, per Gun Violence Archive.
“It has been happening on a daily basis now, and we can barely keep count of these mass shootings,” Representative Judy Chu, whose district includes Monterey Park, said to The New York Times.
It’s easy to feel helpless in moments like these, to feel like you can’t do anything but doomscroll on Twitter while losing hope that we’re capable of change. The truth is that there are actions we can all take, and while they may not feel world-shaking in the moment, small acts can lead to bigger progress over time. For example, you can directly support the communities of Monterey Park, Uvalde, and Colorado Springs by donating to fundraisers created for victims and their loved ones. You can research your local representatives’ stances on gun reform and vote for candidates who support common-sense gun-safety laws, like banning assault rifles and requiring universal background checks. You can also donate to gun-reform organizations working to enact this change at local and federal levels.
It’s clear that thoughts and prayers are not preventing gun violence from occurring every day in the US. If this moment is moving you to take action, see below for a selection of organizations pushing for gun reform that you can donate to today.
Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund
The Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund is led by Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. The nonprofit teamed up with other AAPI organizations such as Stop AAPI Hate and Stand With Asian Americans. The GoFundMe was set up to support victims of the Monterey Park shooting.
Donate to Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund here.
Sandy Hook Promise
Sandy Hook Promise is led by the family members who had loved ones killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. This organization’s mission is “to end school shootings and create a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children,” and it promotes educational programs to identify the signs of a potential shooter as well as “sensible, bipartisan school and gun safety legislation.”
Donate to Sandy Hook Promise here.
Giffords
Giffords is a gun-violence-prevention organization led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot at a local event for constituents in January 2012. The organization “is fighting to end the gun lobby’s stranglehold on our political system” through three separate paths: Giffords, which mobilizes voters and pushes for legislative change at the grassroots level; Giffords Law Center, which helps “draft, implement, and defend” the laws and programs designed to prevent gun violence; and Giffords PAC, which aims to be a counter to the gun lobby.
Johns Hopkins Center For Gun Violence Solutions
Two gun-violence-prevention organizations – the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence – recently merged to form the Johns Hopkins Center For Gun Violence Solutions. The organization combines research with advocacy and policymaking. “We use a public health approach to conduct rigorous scientific research to identify a range of innovative solutions to gun violence,” the org’s website says.
Donate to Johns Hopkins Center For Gun Violence Solutions here.
Everytown For Gun Safety
Everytown For Gun Safety was started by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2014 to counter the influence of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Everytown advocates for a legislative plan that includes more thorough background checks and mandates for safer gun storage, while opposing ideas like arming teachers. Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America is affiliated with Everytown.
Donate to Everytown For Gun Safety here.
The Brady Campaign
The Brady Campaign has been around since 1974 and was renamed in 2001 to honor Jim Brady, the White House press secretary under Ronald Reagan who sustained a major head injury during an assassination attempt on Reagan. The organization lays out a 12-step plan to preventing gun violence at the state and federal level, while offering local chapters and events to get involved.
Donate to the Brady Campaign here.
States United to Prevent Gun Violence
States United to Prevent Gun Violence works with 33 different state organizations across the country, each of which is committed to ending gun violence through local advocacy, the org says. “Legislators are predominately moved by hearing from constituents and leaders in their home states,” States United explains on its site. “Our state affiliates provide a critically important voice to counter the gun lobby.” The organization aims to “amplify that voice and elevate state leaders.”
Donate to States United to Prevent Gun Violence here.
– Additional reporting by Sara Youngblood Gregory and Melanie Whyte