Jimmy Kimmel Breaks Down In Tears During An Emotional Monologue About The Las Vegas Shooting
“[Lawmakers] should be praying for God to forgive them for letting the gun lobby run this country."
A grief-stricken Jimmy Kimmel has slammed American lawmakers in an angry, emotional monologue following the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday that left 59 people dead.
As the US struggles to come to terms with the deadliest mass shooting in its history, the talk show host dedicated the opening portion of his program to his hometown, and the politicians who have for years failed to enact meaningful gun control measures.
“Here we are again in the aftermath of another of another terrible, inexplicable, shocking and painful tragedy,” Kimmel began, already on the verge of tears. “It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to throw up or give up, it’s too much to even process. All these devastated families who now have to live with this pain forever because one person with a violent and insane voice in his head managed to stockpile a collection of high-powered rifles and use them to shoot people.”
Kimmel went on to question the laws that allowed the shooter, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, to purchase more than 10 high-powered firearms.
“When someone with a beard attacks us, we tap phones, we invoke travel bans, we build walls… but when an American buys a gun and kills other Americans, then there’s nothing we can about that,” Kimmel said sarcastically.
“Orlando, Newtown, Aurora, San Bernardino, every one of these shootings the murderer used automatic or semiautomatic rifles, which are not weapons you use for self-defense. They’re weapons designed to kill large numbers of people in the shortest possible amount of time.”
“A number of lawmakers who don’t do anything about this because the NRA [National Rifle Association] has their balls in a money clip… sent their thoughts and their prayers today, which is good,” Kimmel continued. “They should be praying. They should be praying for God to forgive them for letting the gun lobby run this country.”
“By the way, the House of Representatives is voting on a piece of legislation this week. It’s a bill to legalize the sale of silencers for guns, this is what they’re working on. We have a major problem with gun violence in this country, and I guess they don’t care. If I’m wrong on that, fine, do something about it. Cause I’m sick of it.”
A powerful call to action. Thank you, @jimmykimmel ? https://t.co/4v2QNOvzBN
— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) October 3, 2017
.@jimmykimmel says what needs to be saidhttps://t.co/TxwN1YURGX
— Will Arnett™ (@arnettwill) October 3, 2017
“I want this to be a comedy show,” said Kimmel. “I hate talking about stuff like this. I just want to laugh about things every night, but it seems to becoming increasingly difficult lately. It feels like someone has opened a window into hell. And what I’m talking about tonight isn’t about gun control, it’s about common sense… it’s a public safety issue, and something needs to be done.”
Kimmel concluded his monologue by paying tribute to the first responders in Las Vegas.
“Thank God for the police in Las Vegas, who risked their lives trying to locate the man with the gun,” he said. “Thank God for the doctors and nurses and firefighters and paramedics who rose to the occasion, as they always seem to do when we need them to. And for the concertgoers themselves who helped each other, who threw their bodies on top of each other, who drove their private cars full of people who were bleeding to the hospital. Don’t forget them.”
You can watch the entire monologue below.