John Oliver, like many of his fellow late-night voices of reason, is not a fan of the National Rifle Association (NRA). On the latest Last Week Tonight, Oliver followed his previous emotional response to the tragic nightclub shooting in Orlando with an insightful plea to his viewers to start taking the NRA very, very seriously.
"Here we are again after another mass shooting with weak legislation due to failure," Oliver said. "There is clearly a disconnect between public opinion, which favors—to varying degrees—a number of different gun control measures and any practical action in Washington. And it's pretty clear what is standing between those two things: the National Rifle Association." However, Oliver argues, the only thing intimidating about the NRA should be their remarkable success rate at influencing politicians by consistently showing up in support of their policies.
Not only has the NRA successfully made the CDC's efforts at gathering "gun-related information" a living nightmare, they've been able to block the mere existence of a comprehensive gun violence study for more than a decade. "The real power of the NRA are in its members who are highly motivated and can be mobilized quickly," Oliver added, leading him to his main point: mobilizing the opposition.
"If or when a proposal you like is on the table, you're going to have to make all those calls again, because remember: it doesn't take much to outnumber the NRA," Oliver noted. "Planet Fitness members outnumber them. But it's time for us to learn what those members haven't. If you're going to see some serious changes, you actually have to show up every fucking day."
