Late night host Jimmy Kimmel opened his show Thursday night by replaying clips from U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement about the killings of 17 people by a teenager with an AR-15 assault weapon at a Florida high school on Wednesday. He included the part where Trump said: “No parent should ever have to fear for their sons and daughters when they kiss them goodbye in the morning.”
Kimmel said he agrees, “and here’s what you do to fix that. 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 laws, real laws, that do everything possible to keep assault rifles out of the hands of people who are going to shoot our kids. Go on TV and tell them to do that!” he said to strong applause.
READ MORE: Little sign of action in U.S. Congress after Florida, Las Vegas shootings
Arguing that now was the time for Trump to bring that “common sense you told us you were going to bring to the White House,” Kimmel called on Trump to begin to demand more from the government.
Kimmel called on Trump to “force these allegedly Christian men and women who stuff their pockets from the NRA to do something, now. Not later, now.”
READ MORE: Florida community holds vigil for school shooting victims, chant ‘no more guns!’
“Children are being murdered,” Kimmel declared as his voice broke and he teared up.
WATCH BELOW: The latest coverage on the Florida high school shooting
-
![]()
Unconscionable grief follows Florida shooting massacre -
![]()
Coach killed in Florida shooting ‘one of the greatest people’: Sheriff -
![]()
Florida school shooting suspect confesses to killings: police -
![]()
Multiple vigils held for Florida school shooting victims -
![]()
‘He’s a broken human being’: Florida school shooting suspect’s lawyer -
![]()
17 people dead following Florida school shooting
Addressing Trump directly, Kimmel said, “Do something. We still haven’t even talked about it. You still haven’t done anything about this. Nothing. You’ve literally done nothing. Actually, you’ve done worse than nothing. You like to say this is a mental health issue, but one of your very first acts as president, Mr. Trump, was actually roll back the regulations that were designed to keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill.”
WATCH BELOW: The latest on Jimmy Kimmel
-
![]()
Jimmy Kimmel calls on U.S. gov’t to take action on gun control: ‘I think it is time for debate?’ -
![]()
Jimmy Kimmel wonders if Roy Moore challenged him to a fight – before accepting -
![]()
Jimmy Kimmel brings son on show, pleads for health care -
![]()
Porn star Stormy Daniels coy on details of alleged Trump affair on Jimmy Kimmel
Kimmel urged people to go to the gun safety group Everytown.org for information on how to write and call their representatives, “and if they don’t listen, vote them out of office.”
READ MORE: ‘If I don’t make it I love you’: Harrowing text messages Florida students sent to parents
“Whatever you do, do something,” he said. “Because I, for one, am very, very, very, very, tired of this.”
Watch Kimmel’s gun-control monologue in the video above.
—With files from the Associated Press
Comments