Stephen Colbert has been a late night comedian on CBS for what, only two years? In that time span, there have been too many mass shootings.
Following the latest shooting in Vegas, Colbert started his Monday night show on a very somber note. He was going to say much the same things he’s said after previous mass shootings, like that we can’t let this be a new normal.
But he also said some different things, and Congress needs to listen. He said that the bar is so low right now that Congress can do anything and it would be better than what they have been doing to address mass shootings: nothing at all.
Colbert also called on Trump to be a real maverick and do something about mass shootings, without regard for what the Republicans or the Democrats will think.
Some things that could be done:
- Mandate universal background checks.
- Reinstate the assault weapons ban.
- If it’s really a mental health issue, do something about mental health.
- Do something neither Colbert nor anyone else has suggested. If someone in Congress has better ideas than these, the time is now.
- Just do something more than just offer prayers.
Congress and the Supreme Court have always been able to find nuance in most amendments of the Bill of Rights, coming up with terminology that doesn’t even appear in there (like “clear and present danger,” for one).
The first clause of the Second Amendment consists of actual words that are in the Bill of Rights. Those words are not boilerplate nonsense, but an indication of responsibility that comes with the right.
If the First Amendment can be construed to disallow religious human sacrifice, surely there’s got to be a way that the Second Amendment can be construed to disallow a wacko acting alone from shooting up a bunch of people.
And how many people do you know have died, or at least been injured, because someone falsely yelled fire in a theater? Probably none.
But the people in the Senate and the House know one or two people who have been shot by people with all too easy access to guns that are just way too much for hunting deer: a Democrat and a Republican.