See John Oliver Praise Florida Students for Gun Control Efforts
In the aftermath of another school shooting, John Oliver applauded the courageous students of Parkland, Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for stepping into the forefront of the gun control debate.
“These [school shooting] events are so familiar, you now automatically know how each side will play out: ‘Thoughts and prayers,’ ‘Fuck your thoughts and prayers,’ ‘It’s a mental health problem,’ ‘Yeah, but it’s also a gun problem’ and then someone says ‘Now’s not the time to talk about gun control,’ and everyone moves on until it inevitably happens again,” Oliver said on Last Week Tonight.
“But this time felt slightly different, because when the ‘Now’s not the time’ argument came out, the kids from that school said, ‘You know what? Yes it fucking is.'”
Last Week Tonight then shared footage and interviews with Marjory Stoneman Douglas students, including Emma Gonzalez’s powerful speech at an anti-gun rally where she called “BS” on those preventing stricter gun laws.
“It is a little ironic that the people acting with the most maturity in this horrifying situation aren’t even old enough to say the word ‘bullshit’ in front of their parents,” Oliver said.
The host also dismissed the age-old excuse of blaming pop culture, video games and rap music for gun violence – those same things are readily available in countries where school shootings aren’t a weekly occurrence – and aired a clip of an Andy Griffith Show episode that criticized gun owners for mistaking fear for respect.