Six months ago, many in the San Gabriel Valley community were celebrating the Lunar New Year, a holiday meant to embrace joy and new beginnings.
On January 21, a gunman walked into Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park and opened fire with a semi-assault weapon, leaving 11 innocent people dead and injuring nine. The community is still grappling with the heartbreak of that attack.
To mark the six-month anniversary of the mass shooting, Democratic Rep. Judy Chu – whose district includes Monterey Park – was joined by the family of a victim, survivors, city council members, law enforcement, and community advocates to introduce two bills she introduces in Congress to address the issues that arose from the tragedy.
“As we continue attending to the needs of victims, families, and community through this healing process, I strongly believe any tragedy demands that we critically think about our future public health responses,” said Chu, during a press conference in front of the studio on Friday, July 21.
In the Monterey Park shooting, Chu said the gunman exhibited anger and paranoia when he walked into a police station two weeks before the attack, accusing the family of poisoning him while stockpiling guns and ammunition. Huu Can Tran, 72, of Hemet, killed himself after a standoff with police hours after the shooting.
“Unfortunately, none of the individuals in this shooter’s life knew that red-flag law could have allowed them to notify the authorities and have his guns taken away,” she said. “These laws expanded by last year’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act can work if utilized, but many don’t know about them, particularly our immigrant neighbors, many of whom have linguistic and cultural barriers.”
A red-flag law is an order from a judge that suspends a person’s license to possess or carry a gun. They have been used at least 5,000 times in the United States, and in California have prevented 58 mass shootings, according to Chu.
“That is why…
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