In the aftermath of the massacre in Las Vegas, late-night comedian turned moral scold Jimmy Kimmel excoriated the GOP for “letting the gun lobby run this country,” and New York Times Giovanni Russonello praised the host for acting as a social conscience” and calling out Republicans and the National Rifle Association, in his Best of Late Night rundown Tuesday morning: “Jimmy Kimmel Seizes on Las Vegas Shooting to Champion Gun Laws in Emotional Monologue.”
Jimmy Kimmel, a son of Las Vegas, delivered one of the most emotionally searing monologues in his show’s 14-year history on Monday as he honored those killed and injured in Sunday night’s shooting, and challenged President Trump and Congress to act against gun violence. Just as he did in his attacks on the Republican health care bills this year, Mr. Kimmel used plain, pointed language while acting as a social conscience as he called out politicians, the National Rifle Association and complacent citizens.
Choked up from the start, he ultimately broke into tears as he related the events and the aftermath of what was one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history.
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Mr. Kimmel grew more forceful as he disagreed with those who consider gun violence to be inevitable.
“There are a lot of things we can do about it. But we don’t, which is interesting. Because when someone with a beard attacks us, we tap phones, we invoke travel bans, we build walls, we take every possible precaution to make sure it doesn’t happen again. But when an American buys a gun and kills other Americans, then there’s nothing we can do about that. And the Second Amendment, I guess, our forefathers wanted us to have AK-47s is the argument, I assume.”
Of course, many on the left consider terrorism to be “inevitable” and are loathe to consider ideas like travel bans to try and stop it.
Before showing the faces of senators who voted against new gun restrictions days after the Orlando shooting last year, he called Mr. Trump and congressional leaders to account.
“President Trump is visiting Las Vegas on Wednesday. He spoke this morning, he said he was praying for those who lost their lives. You know, in February, he also signed a bill that made it easier for people with severe mental illness to buy guns legally. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, the speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, a number of other lawmakers who won’t do anything about this because the N.R.A. has their balls in a money clip, also sent their thoughts and their prayers today - which is good. They should be praying. They should be praying for God to forgive them for letting the gun lobby run this country. Because it is, it is so crazy.”
Newsbusters’ Nicholas Fondacaro pointed out the comedian-turned-wonk’s false statements, including Kimmel's take on Trump allegedly overturning an Obama-era regulation to keep firearms away from the mentally ill, a move supported by the ACLU.
It wasn’t just Kimmel; Russonello also excerpted political policy statements from other late-night “comedians” like Stephen Colbert on CBS and Comedy Central's Trevor Noah, who “took on the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and conservative commentators who insisted that it was not appropriate to discuss gun control in the wake of a mass shooting.” Go get’m, Trevor.
