During the June 13 monologue on Conan, host Conan O’Brien referenced the Orlando terror attack and said no one should be able to own “a semiautomatic rifle.”
He described semiautomatic rifles as “weapons of war” that “have no place in civilian life.”
“I simply do not understand why anybody in this country is allowed to purchase and own a semiautomatic assault rifle, it makes no sense to me,” O’Brien said. He added that he tries to keep his “opinions” to himself, but on the matter of banning semiautomatic rifles he chose to speak his mind.
He continued:
These mass shootings are happening so often now, that lamenting them afterwards is becoming a national ritual. I do not know the answer, but I wanted to take just a moment here tonight to agree with the rapidly growing sentiment in America that it’s time to grow up and figure this out.
Conan did not mention that all guns — handguns, rifles, and shotguns — were banned at the Pulse Orlando nightclub. It was a gun-free zone. But that apparently did not dissuade the attacker. Rather, it provided him a captive, defenseless gathering of potential and actual targets.
Like other celebrities, politicians, and media pundits, Conan’s redundant use of the phrase “semiautomatic rifle” — coupled with “weapons of war” — creates an aura of mystery around the AR-15 rifle, making it sound like it is truly a military weapon. He might benefit greatly from reading Breitbart News’ AR-15 Users Guide for Ignorant Media Pundits Who Don’t Get It.
O’Brien’s fellow late-night hosts, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon, also scrapped their usual comedic monologues Monday night in favor of remarks about the terrorist attack in Orlando.
Fallon’s speech centered on the need for tolerance, while Meyers ripped a Congress that “consistently chooses nothing as a course of action” on gun control.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.