Seth Meyers tackles gun control, the Second Amendment, and jammin' stenographers
As the debate over closing gun loopholes and strengthening background checks rages on, Seth Meyers decided to take a closer look at gun control, the Second Amendment, and what would happen if Betty White decided to join the Islamic State.
Meyers first explained what it meant for Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy (D) to filibuster for 14 hours on Wednesday in order to spur action for gun control, and gave props to the unsung heroes of the day — the Senate stenographers. Diving into the Second Amendment, Meyers said that up until the 1970s, it had everything to do with state militias and nothing to do with home defense or hunting (as one historian noted, "one does not bear arms against a rabbit"). In 1982, Senate Republicans commissioned a report that claimed to discover "long-lost proof" that the Second Amendment "was intended as an individual right of the American citizen to keep and carry arms." Meyers wasn't buying that. "Long-lost proof?" he asked incredulously. "Did Nic Cage find a secret message written on the back of the Constitution?"
Meyers also pointed out how easy it can be to purchase guns, highlighting reports from a Philadelphia journalist who bought an assault weapon in only 7 minutes and CNN, where a private dealer at a show said he'll sell someone a gun as long as they provide ID and have an honest face. "If an honest face is all you need to get a gun, we better hope to God Betty White never joins ISIS," Meyers deadpanned. Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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