Conclusion
The gun industry resembles all other manufacturers in that it needs a constant flow of customers to survive. And, like all other industries, it must eventually attempt to adjust to demographic and cultural changes. To this end, the industry has worked to not only resell its shrinking primary market of white males (through the marketing of military-bred weaponry such as assault weapons and the promotion of pistols for concealed carry), but also focused on new “opportunities.” As noted at the beginning of this study, historically the focus has been on women and children. And now, following a trail blazed by the alcohol and tobacco industries, it has expanded to non-white potential gun buyers, where it is openly acknowledged by the gun lobby and firearms industry that the hoped-for benefits are political as well as financial.
For any American, regardless of race or ethnicity, bringing a gun into the home increases the risk of death or injury to the owner or a family member. If the marketing efforts targeting the AAPI community gain traction, the impact will be measured not only in dollars and cents in gunmakers’ coffers, but in increased death and injury among Asian Americans.
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