Top Shot Chris Cheng shares his thoughts on his APA Heritage, firearms, and firearms safety.
See below for Chris’s answers to our interview questions, and find out more about Chris on his social media and website.
- Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/TopShotChris
- YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@TopShotChris
- Website — https://www.TopShotChris.com
Tell us a little about who you are
I’m History Channel’s Top Shot Season 4 Champion. I live in Silicon Valley and came from a self-taught amateur shooting background, and I went pro after winning Top Shot. I was a pro 3-gunner on the Bass Pro Shops staff for 4 years and have met amazing Americans all throughout the country in my 14 years in the firearms industry.
Why is celebrating our APA Heritage important to you?
It is important for us to celebrate our APA heritage to highlight our accomplishments and achievements and the prominent APA voices and professionals in the firearms industry and community. It has been a fun journey for me to learn how I have never been alone in the gun industry, with many of us APAs supporting each other’s careers and projects.
What’s your ethnic background and what do you appreciate about your APA heritage?
I’m half Chinese and half Japanese and am often mistaken for Korean ☺️. I’ve come to appreciate how being APA has been a meshing together of being a proud American alongside my Asian heritage. I grew up in Orange County, CA where I did not have many APA role models, and I think APA Heritage Month is important to inspire the next generation of APAs by showing them our success in the firearms community.
What’s a top firearms safety tip you can share?
Get a pair of electronic hearing protection. Being able to hear your instructor, your friends, and your surroundings not only increases the enjoyment of shooting but it is also safer in case you need to hear something in your surroundings. There are many great electronic ear pro options at a variety of budget price points.
What’s an exciting firearms-related project or initiative you’re working on?
I’ve written a novel tentatively titled “The Purple Heart Battalion” – a historical fictional account based on the true story of the 100th Battalion / 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a World War II segregated Nisei unit who volunteered for the U.S. Army from the incarceration camps. These brave Japanese Americans became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history and it is a story which must be told.
My novel is a war story about honor and loyalty during a time when Japanese Americans had many reasons to despise our country. Yet 18,000 Nisei volunteered for the U.S. Army to fight for freedom even when our country fell short of its values, and unconstitutionally jailed 120,000 innocent Americans of Japanese descent without due process. I bring a level of realism to not only the soldiers but their weapons — readers will glean a deep understanding of iconic guns like the M1 Garand and its role on the battlefield.