In this weeks segment of Saturday Night Live, country music singer Jason Aldean kicked off the show with a tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting, as well as to the late Tom Petty.
Before performing Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down," Aldean honored the 59 people who lost their lives while he was performing in Las Vegas on October 1. Prior to presenting this week's host, Gal Gaddot, the camera turned to Jason Aldean who peered into the camera and spoke to the grief that the families of the victims must be experiencing following the massacre.
“I’m Jason Aldean. This week we witnessed one of the worst tragedies in American history. Like everyone, I’m struggling to understand what happened that night and how to pick up the pieces and start to heal. So many people are hurting – there are children, parents, brothers, sisters, friends. They’re all part of our family, so I want to say to them we hurt for you and we hurt with you, and you can be sure we’re going to walk through these tough times together every step of the way. Because when America is at its best our bond and our spirit is unbreakable.”
Aldean was performing at the Route 91 Harvest Festival when Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd of concert goers next to the Mandalay Bay Casino. 59 people were killed and hundreds injured. Aldean then continued his segment by honoring the late Tom Petty, who passed away on Monday, by singing the classic "I Won't Back Down," which can be seen above in full.
Although Aldean didn't speak specifically to gun control, the anchors of Weekend Update, Colin Jost and Michael Che, picked up where Aldean left off. Regarding what can be done in response to tragedies like the Las Vegas shooting, the anchors pressed the audience to consider the argument for stricter gun control.
The two began by questioning why anyone would need the amount of guns that the Las Vegas shooter had.
“This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. The guy had 47 guns. No one should own 47 of anything. If you own 47 cats, you are not a responsible pet owner, you’re a crazy cat lady. And unlike with guns, the government will actually come and take your cats away, because everyone agrees that’s insane."
