JACL Condemns Political Violence, Renews Call for Assault Weapons Ban
July 15, 2024
For Immediate Release
Seia Watanabe, VP Public Affairs, swatanabe@jacl.org
Matthew Weisbly, Education & Communications Coordinator, mweisbly@jacl.org
Washington, DC, July 15, 2024. Like all Americans, JACL members were horrified to hear of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. We mourn the death of Corey Comperatore, who as a fireman, was accustomed to putting his life at risk for others, but should have never had to do so at a political rally to protect his own family. We hope for the quick and full healing of former President Trump and the others who remain in the hospital, and all those in attendance who have been traumatized by this all-too-common incident of gun violence.
JACL learned of the shooting amid our annual convention just a few hours away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as we began to enter our Sayonara Gala to close with what should have been a celebratory evening. David Inoue, JACL Executive Director interrupted the dinner to share the news with attendees and condemn what had happened as un-American and contrary to our values as Americans, particularly as JACL members. JACL values and employs concepts of the open debate of ideas as we joined OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates and APIA Vote for joint programming this week to tackle challenging issues facing AANHPI voters in this year’s elections, and with APIA Vote’s leadership, hosted a Presidential Town Hall allowing both campaigns to speak to our community.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time our convention has been conducted under the cloud of a tragic shooting incident. Five years ago, our final day of convention in Salt Lake City was similarly interrupted by news of the mass shooting that took the lives of 23 people in El Paso, Texas. That hate crime is the largest mass shooting targeting Latino victims specifically. Later that evening, another nine people were killed in another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.
It is without doubt that gun violence has become too commonplace, and even with the protection of the Secret Service, arguably the most elite protective service in the world, it was not enough to prevent what happened on Saturday evening.
We reiterate our call for the long overdue renewal of the assault weapon ban.
The shooter sought to silence Presidential Candidate Trump. While JACL has often found ourselves in opposition to Mr. Trump’s policies as President, we value the opportunity to engage in public debate and engagement where we might voice our disagreements, but also find where we might find alignment and work together.
We must recognize the dangerous intersection of violent rhetoric and gun violence. Neither the First nor the Second Amendments are absolute rights. JACL held its convention in Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation, and the Declaration of Independence that so eloquently states our inherent rights as people to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” These fundamental rights are now endangered by increasingly dangerous unrestrained speech and the ease of access to deadly firearms.
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The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.
