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Kimmel blames Trump, Congress for school shooting

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People hoist up their candles during a vigil for the victims of the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Nikolas Cruz, a former student, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder on Thursday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

PARKLAND, Fla. >> Jimmy Kimmel opened his late night show by replaying clips from 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 — including 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.

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. And don’t you dare let them say it’s too soon to be talking about it.”

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.”

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