Shops selling guns in the US reported a sharp increase in the number of Asian residentswho buy firearms for protection from racist attacks in the period of the outbreak of coronavirus.
David Lesh, the owner of Arcadia Firearm & Safety in the valley of San Gabriel in California, said channel CBSLA that for the last week they had 10 times more customers.
According to him, the growth of sales of weapons linked to the fact that many people are concerned about their safety during the outbreak COVID-19, fearing that they may be targeted because of their ethnicity.
Shop Arcadia Firearm & Safety is located in the district with a population consisting primarily of Asian Americans.
Last week several Asian US residents were victims of crimes motivated by hatred because of the coronavirus, which was first discovered in Wuhan (China).
So, in early March, the passenger in the new York subways sprayed men Asian race air freshener and shouted: «They are standing right next to me! Let go!».
In February, the Asian woman in the mask attacked in the subway in new York.
«We always have a lot of customers, but now it’s kind of crazy. Many people buy guns for fear of becoming a victim of racial hatred,» said KABC’s Dennis Lin, the owner of the Gun store Effects and Cloud Nine Fishing.
One of her clients, April Zhao, confirmed that came in Gun Effects, to buy weapons because of concerns that it can attack.
«So I have to protect my family and my son,» said Zhao from Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.).
A sharp increase in purchases of weapons by Americans of Asian descent also marked in Washington , the U.S. state most affected by the outbreak of coronavirus.
In the United States reported more than 1,300 cases of coronavirus as of March 12.
