Stephen Colbert slams Sen. John Kennedy over gun control statements, calls for Republicans to be voted out
The late-night host took a firm position in favor of gun control following the recent Boulder, Colo. mass shooting
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stephen Colbert spoke out about the two tragic mass shootings that took place this week by calling on Republican senators like John Kennedy to be voted out of office.
The comedian opened "The Late Show" Tuesday night with a heartfelt address to the families of the victims of the mass shooting in Boulder, Colo. He also acknowledged that it was the second mass shooting in one week following another that occurred in Atlanta, Ga. that left eight people dead. The host went on to call for gun control legislation.
"The only suitable way to honor these victims is with action, but our government continues to do nothing," he began.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Colbert noted the U.S. went a long time without a mass shooting of this scale thanks in large part to lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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"Evidently, the only solution for America’s gun violence is to put us all under house arrest," he joked.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stephen Colbert took jabs at Sen. John Kennedy over his stance on gun control. (CBS/Getty Images)
The host went on to lambaste Republicans in Congress for inaction on the issue of gun control, specifically targeting Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, who drew fierce backlash on Tuesday after comparing mass shootings to drunk driving during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun control.
"I do think we ought to keep this in perspective. What has happened in the last few days, what’s happened in the last years is, of course, tragic," Kennedy said. "I’m not trying to perfectly equate these two but… we have a lot of drunk drivers in America that kill a lot of people, we ought to try to combat that too."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"OK, I’ll take that deal," Colbert responded after playing a clip of the senator’s quote. "Let's regulate guns the way we regulate alcohol and cars. You got to be 21, got to pass a test to get a license, you got to have registration and insurance for your gun. If you move to a new state, you’ve got to do the whole damn thing over again, and you can't go out loaded."
Colbert concluded his thoughts on the gun control issue Tuesday by sharing another clip of Kennedy telling reporters that America doesn’t have a gun control issue.
"I don’t believe we have a gun control problem in America," Kennedy said. "I believe we have an idiot control problem."
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"Oh, we definitely have an idiot control problem," Colbert snapped back after the clip. "It’s people who don’t recognize that this country has long had a gun problem, John Kennedy!"
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added: "So when idiots like John Kennedy refuse to do anything about getting rid of idiot’s guns, it’s clearly time to get rid of idiots like John Kennedy — and that means voting them out."