In the weeks following the mass shooting that killed six people — three of whom were children — at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, protests have sparked from both voters and politicians over gun violence. But they have largely been met with anger or indifference from the state legislature, as John Oliver pointed out on Sunday night’s “Last Week Tonight” on HBO, calling a response “Hall of Fame sh-y.”
Oliver began his Easter Sunday show with the segment, first calling out Republican Rep. William Lamberth for being snide with young voters who confronted him on gun reform. In a clip of Lamberth’s response, the Republican asked people what weapon they would shoot with.
Lamberth said, “You’re not going to like my answer, and look, I’m going to say it straight.” “It’s not about this one gun. If there is a firearm you can shoot comfortably, please show me which one it is.
“I mean Hall of Fame sh-y response,” Oliver fired back. “But also, if your opener is, ‘You’re not going to like my answer,’ maybe start thinking of something better. And for the record, I don’t want to shoot a gun. I’d rather shoot a Nerf gun.” Do not want to kill
As the segment continued, Oliver turned his anger on Lamberth’s explanation of why the House expelled two black members Thursday after those members tried to advocate gun control with a third member — a white woman. , who was not expelled.
Earlier last week, Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson disrupted debate on the House floor by using a bullhorn to lead the protest. According to their Republican colleagues who voted only to expel Jones and Pearson on Thursday, the representatives had brought “disorder and disgrace to the House of Representatives,” while the House speaker said they were “inciting violence.”
But, as Oliver pointed out, House Speaker Cameron Sexton actually had no evidence that the trio was inciting violence. When pressed on this by a local reporter, Sexton said, “I mean, you can’t prove it.”
Meanwhile, Lamberth claimed, “Our members literally didn’t look at the ethnicity of the members who were up for expulsion,” and Oliver couldn’t help but scoff at that defense.
“Well now, legally, I can’t say that guy is lying – that’s why tomorrow is going to be an interesting day for our lawyers, when they find out that I said that guy Definitely Lying,” Oliver joked. “‘We don’t really see color as well’ is the universal message to people who spend all day thinking about how they wish they could see less color.”
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” airs Sundays on HBO.