Stephen Colbert showed he stands with the teens of Parkland, Florida in a powerful opening monologue
On Tuesday, February 20th, about 100 students from Parkland, Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School filed into busses and trekked to their state capitol. After losing 17 members of their high school community to a school shooter on February 14th, these students demanded that their lawmakers take action to limit access to guns and help save lives.
In his opening monologue that same day, Late Show host Stephen Colbert said that he stands with the Parkland students. The host said he’s disgusted by the inaction and blasé attitudes of some legislators regarding gun control.
"But there is one group that does give me hope that we can do something to protect the children, and sadly, it's the children," Colbert said. "The students from Parkland, Florida. The adults aren't cutting it anymore."
Colbert suggested we change the voting age, stating that until gun control legislation is passed, no one over 18 should have the right to vote.
The students who bussed to Tallahassee did so with hope that lawmakers would reinstate a ban on assault weapons. Their lawmakers heard them out yet still voted against the ban. According to Time.com, 1.3 Floridians currently have a concealed carry permit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa0tSw2iV5o?feature=oembed
"I hope these kids don't give up," Colbert continued. "Because this is their lives and their future. Someone else may be in power, but this country belongs to them. And there's reason for hope. Look at the MeToo movement. A lot of men in power did not see that coming. But if proved that change can happen overnight."
The Florida House delivers a giant "to hell with you" to the Parkland students by voting down a motion to take up a bill banning AR-15s (which BTW were also the weapon of choice for gangs in Florida when I was in media there). Newsflash: these kids are going to turn 18 & vote.
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) February 20, 2018
As Colbert reminded us, 2018 is an election year, which means some of these students — and students all over the country — will be able to exercise their right to vote for the first time. We’re incredibly proud of the students at Parkland, and teenagers everywhere, who are uniting over this issue. These young people aren’t just the future — they’re shaping it now.