Conan O’Brien skipped his usual jokes in Monday’s monologue in favor of a stern message in response to the Orlando mass killing:
He wants a ban on all sales of “weapons of war” to civilians.
“Sometimes events are so horrifying and bleak — to come out here to tell jokes, it’s not really possible,” O’Brien began.
“Tonight sadly is one of those nights. At a time when we think we’d heard the worst stories about senseless violence in our country, that it couldn’t possible get worse — the news coming out of Orlando yesterday is still impossible to fathom. That so many people could lose their lives so quickly because of one person’s demented rage will never make sense, and God help us if it ever does.
“I am not a pundit, I am not an expert, and I’ve always made it my policy to stick to my job and keep my opinions to myself,” said O’Brien, 53, before veering from that approach.
“I simply do not understand why anybody in this country is allowed to purchase and own a semiautomatic assault rifle, it makes no sense to me,” the father of two continued. “These are weapons of war and they have no place in civilian life.”
As the audience exploded in applause, O’Brien went on to say: “I have tried to understand this issue from every side, and it all comes down to this: Nobody I know or have ever met in my entire life should have access to a weapon that can kill so many people so quickly.”
The Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, bought the weapons he used — a 9-mm semiautomatic pistol and .223-caliber assault rifle — at St. Lucie Shooting Center a few days before the massacre. He was killed by police during a shootout after he stormed the gay nightclub at around 2 a.m. ET Sunday and carried out the most deadly mass shooting in U.S. history.
“These mass shootings are happening so often now, that lamenting them afterwards is becoming a national ritual. I do not know the answer, but I wanted to take just a moment here tonight to agree with the rapidly growing sentiment in America that it’s time to grow up and figure this out,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien concluded his message by telling viewers that they can help victims and their families in Orlando by visiting gofundme.com/pulsevictimsfund, which has already raised more than $2.7 million.