John Oliver Says It's Time To Talk About Gun Control After Florida Shooting: 'F**k Your Thoughts And Prayers'
John Oliver returns to Last Week Tonight in time to deliver an impassioned speech on the shooting at a Florida high school last week.
The school shooting in Parkland, Florida resulted in 17 fatalities and numerous injuries.
Oliver On The Parkland Students And Gun Control
"These events are now so familiar, we now automatically know how each side will play out," Oliver says, describing a few of the standard reactions to such incidents. "And then someone says now's not the time to talk about gun control and everyone moves on until it inevitably happens again."
"When the 'now's not the time' argument came out, the kids from that school said, 'You know what? Yes, it f**king is,'" he points out.
A clip plays of Stoneman Douglas Junior students who explained that the suspect who isn't old enough to even buy alcohol is able to purchase a "war weapon." Another student spoke passionately in front of a crowd who answered her each call with "We call BS!"
Oliver praises the students for their mettle, adding that the students have organized a march called "March For Our Lives" for the following month. The march is meant to challenge adults to participate on a conversation about gun violence. However, as Oliver points out, the students are up against considerable resistance.
Another clip begins to play of former South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer who was asked whether Republicans will take heed of the children. Instead of answering the question directly, Bauer pointed to "cultural things" in modern times that play a larger role in desensitizing people such as the movie industry, rap, and radio.
"Now we have kids eating Tide pods instead of discipline," he says.
Late Night Hosts On School Shooting
Oliver isn't the only host who has spoken up about the Parkland school shooting. Jimmy Kimmel dedicated a monologue to the incident, specifically calling out President Donald Trump who delivered a statement from the White House.
While Kimmel says he agrees with a few of Trump's points, the late night host calls for action from the president and other politicians.
"And here's what you do to fix that," he addresses Trump. "Tell your buddies in Congress, tell Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and Marco Rubio, all the family men who care so much about their communities, that what we need are real laws that do everything possible to keep assault rifles out of the hands of people who are gonna shoot our kids."
