CBS late night hosts Stephen Colbert and James Corden reacted to the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on their Tuesday-taped shows by urging America to pass gun control and bash America and Second Amendment defenders.
Colbert began The Late Show by offering up his prayers to the families affected, but also urged that prayers be said for gun control, “But prayers won't end this. Voting might. So, when you vote, ask yourself this question: Who, running for office, has publicly stated that they are willing to do anything and everything in their power to protect your children from the criminally insane number of guns in America.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was in New York and was scheduled to be on the show even before the shooting, but the news of the day provided Colbert the opportunity to marvel at New Zealand’s gun control law, “And here in the United States, we have the kind of gun violence we saw today far too often. And I'm wondering if you have-- if you could explain to us how you did it... How did you get that done? Or how did you New Zealanders get that done because I know it was general consensus?”
Ardern tried to be diplomatic, claiming she could only speak to New Zealand’s experience after the Christchurch shooting, but highlighted, “we are-- a very pragmatic people. When we saw something like that happen, everyone said never again and so then it was incumbent on us as politicians to respond to that. Now, we have legitimate needs for guns in our country for things like peace control and to protect our biodiversity. But you don't need a military-style semi-automatic weapon to do that. And so we got rid of them.”
While New Zealanders may be “pragmatic,” Americans are very protective of their rights and that is before we tackle nonsensical verbiage like “military-style semi-automatic,” a concept that seemed lost on Colbert, “And so what are-- what are the results of that? Has there-- does it feel like a less-free country to anyone down there? Has there been any sort of backlash for this having happened?”
Ardern responded by hyping New Zealand’s “buyback scheme,” but warned “I won't sit here and say that our system is perfect.”
As for Corden and The Late Late Show, he suggested gun rights advocates accept school shootings as a fact of life, “I am constantly shocked by the number of people who must think this is an okay byproduct-- to never make meaningful changes to gun laws.”
He also wondered that if America can win world wars, why can’t it pass gun control, “It doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't reflect the country that I think America is. The America I've always admired; you have a problem, you solve it. You're on the forefront of medicine, of technology, of innovation. When there's a world war, you are the ones we turn to, yet on this issue, America is one of the most backward places in the world.”
The reason for this supposed backwardness is gun money and gun culture, “Gun money will continue to get in the way of morality… I hold out hope that this country will eventually wake up and change this senseless gun culture, while my heart simply goes out to every single person in Texas tonight.”
Gun culture is the result of a culture that does the respects the Bill of Rights and despite what Corden says, no believer in gun culture defends the murdering of children.
The Late Show was sponsored by Target and The Late Late Show was sponsored by Liberty Mutual.
Here are transcripts for the May 24 shows:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
5/24/2022
11:36 PM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: We tape this show earlier in the day, and just I want to let you know, shortly before I came out here tonight, we learned of the unspeakable shooting in Uvalde, Texas, today. And while we can add our prayers for the dead. There is nothing that can ever be said that can approach the immeasurable grief of those families.
But while we're at it, let's pray that this time our leaders show a modicum of courage in trying to prevent this from ever happening again. But prayers won't end this. Voting might. So, when you vote, ask yourself this question: Who, running for office, has publicly stated that they are willing to do anything and everything in their power to protect your children from the criminally insane number of guns in America.
…
12:07 AM ET
COLBERT: And here in the United States, we have the kind of gun violence we saw today far too often. And I'm wondering if you have-- if you could explain to us how you did it. Why New Zealand was able to do that when we can't pass so much as universal background checks for people with a history of mental illness, or violent behavior, even though 91% of Americans approve of that, want that, on both sides of the aisle. How did you get that done? Or how did you New Zealanders get that done because I know it was general consensus?
JACINDA ARDERN: Well, I can only speak to our general experience in New Zealand, but when I watch from afar and see events such as those today, I think of them not as a politician, I see them just as a mother, and I'm so sorry for what has happened here. And then I think about what happened to us, and all I can reflect is we are—we are-- a very pragmatic people. When we saw something like that happen, everyone said never again and so then it was incumbent on us as politicians to respond to that.
Now, we have legitimate needs for guns in our country for things like peace control and to protect our biodiversity. But you don't need a military-style semi-automatic weapon to do that. And so we got rid of them.
COLBERT: And so what are-- what are the results of that? Has there-- does it feel like a less-free country to anyone down there? Has there been any sort of backlash for this having happened?
ARDERN: So, we had a buyback scheme. People who had legitimately and legally gone out and purchased these weapons and we changed the laws, so in fairness we said we will buy them back and then we will destroy them. And so that is—that is-- what we did. Now, we still have work to do. You know, there is still, obviously, guns that are misused in New Zealand and so I won't sit here and say that our system is perfect. But we—we-- saw something that wasn't right, and we acted on it. And I can only speak to that experience.
CBS The Late Late Show with James Corden
5/25/2022
12:38 AM ET
JAMES CORDEN: I don't know what has to happen to change things here. I am constantly shocked by the number of people who must think this is an okay byproduct-- to never make meaningful changes to gun laws. It doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't reflect the country that I think America is. The America I've always admired; you have a problem, you solve it. You're on the forefront of medicine, of technology, of innovation. When there's a world war, you are the ones we turn to, yet on this issue, America is one of the most backward places in the world.
This year there have been no school shootings in England. This year there have been no school shootings in Japan. This year there have been no school shootings in Australia. This year there have been 27 school shootings in America, and 212 mass shootings and we are just 5 months into the year. Nothing will change.
Gun money will continue to get in the way of morality. And so, just as I stood here last week, and I talked about a mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, today heart breakingly, it is an elementary school in Texas and I’ll probably be stood here talking again in another week or two about another place.
And words of thoughts and prayers will come from our leaders. But I fear change never will. I hold out hope that this country will eventually wake up and change this senseless gun culture, while my heart simply goes out to every single person in Texas tonight.
