Driven by a need for self-defense, Asian Americans are arming up

ON A FRIDAY EVENING in late March, in southeast Portland’s Jade District, about a thousand people gathered to mourn the most recent mass shooting. The previous week, a man shot and killed eight people — including six Asian women — in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. The tragedy enraged the Asian community, which has faced an escalation in harassment ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began. People at the rally held signs that said “hate is a virus” and “not your model minority.” Snow, a 20-something Vietnamese American who preferred not to give their real name, citing possible retaliation, was among them, wearing a Glock 19 handgun on their hip.

“Some people were uncomfortable at first” about seeing the weapon at the rally, Snow said. “But it