Jimmy Kimmel broke down late Monday while talking about the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
“It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to throw up or give up,” he said. “It’s too much to even process”
As he talked about the public’s response to Sunday night’s massacre, which left 59 dead and more than 500 injured, Kimmel slammed the argument that “there is nothing we can do” to prevent future attacks.
{mosads}Kimmel, who is from Las Vegas, noted that Stephen Paddock, the suspected gunman, obtained his arsenal of semi-automatic weapons legally and passed a government-mandated background check when purchasing them.
“I don’t know why our so-called leaders continue to allow this to happen,” Kimmel said. “Or maybe a better question is why do we continue to let them allow it to happen.”
Kimmel also criticized the White House’s response to the shooting. In a press briefing Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it was “not the time” for political debate about gun control.
“We have 59 innocent people dead. It wasn’t their time either,” Kimmel said. “I think now is the time for political debate.”
He singled out GOP lawmakers like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who he said have voted in line with or accepted money from the National Rifle Association and said Monday they were sending “thoughts and prayers” to Las Vegas victims.
“They should be praying for God to forgive them for letting the gun lobby run this country,” he said. “With all due respect, your thoughts and your prayers are insufficient.”