On Wednesday evening, a rifle-toting gunman tragically took the lives of 18 individuals and injured at least 13 others in Lewiston, Maine. This heart-wrenching incident occurred when the assailant opened fire at two separate locations – a bowling alley and a bar. The suspect, Robert Card, is a 40-year-old trained firearms instructor with the U.S. Army Reserve. Disturbingly, just a few months ago, Card spent two weeks in a mental hospital due to hearing voices and issuing threats to attack a military base.
While other late-night talk show hosts primarily focused on ridiculing newly appointed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Thursday night, Stephen Colbert took a more profound approach to address the Louisiana congressman.
“Now, we are familiar with the arguments,” Colbert quipped, discussing the typical nonchalant response from politicians in the face of tragedies like this. “Some might claim it is solely a mental health issue, while others argue that it is strictly a gun issue. However, there is no reason why it cannot be both.”
According to Colbert, gun violence should not be a subject divided along partisan lines. He passionately emphasized, “This is not just a political matter. Lives are being lost. This is a human issue. In moments like these, you might feel powerless, but you are not. You have the power to prioritize this matter when you vote. And I assure you, regardless of your political affiliation, you will have support.”
Colbert persisted, “More than 80 percent of Americans want Congress to take action, any action, to prevent mass shootings. So go ahead and ask your representative, ‘What will you do?’ And if they are unable to provide a prompt response, if they suggest it is too early to discuss this, then it is evident that they have not genuinely contemplated the issue.”
One striking example of this lack of genuine concern is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. On his first official day in office, Johnson dedicating only a small portion of his time to address the events in Lewiston, and his response was inadequate. Describing this as “a very dark time in America,” Johnson omitted any substantial thoughts but did mention that he and his colleagues are “hopeful and prayerful.” He added, “Prayer is appropriate at a time like this, that the evil can end and this senseless violence can stop.” Colbert was further perturbed by Johnson’s statement on behalf of the entire House of Representatives. Johnson asserted, “everyone wants this to end, and I’ll leave it there.”
“Why would you leave it there?,” demanded The Late Show host. “Do you genuinely believe that this inspires hope? Is walking away from the problem the solution?” The answer to these questions seems quite evident based on historical experiences. However, Colbert assured Johnson and his colleagues that the American people have the capacity to think and pray independently. He noted, “You are capable of governing in theory. I apologize if you find that to be too arduous of a task.”
Colbert concluded, “If you think that is too challenging, let me tell you who has a truly difficult job now. It is the people residing in Lewiston, Maine.”
