Show hosts support students against gun violence in US

Late night show hosts like Stephen Colbert and Jordan Klepper have backed student activism against gun violence in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shootings.

On February 14, shooting at the school in Parkland, Florida, left 17 students dead.

Two students -- Carly Novell and Delaney Tarr -- who are part of the #NeverAgain movement, made guest appearances on "The Opposition with Jordan Klepper", reports variety.com.

On the show, Klepper kicked off the segment by taking on the persona of an outraged gun-loving American, who challenged teens to find a way around his "playbook for evading gun control debates", and then went on to give them an abstinence lecture -- abstinence from civic action.

After the commercial break, Novell and Tarr sat in with Klepper to make their case for common sense gun legislation.

"Don't bring a well-researched argument to a gun fight," Klepper advised.

Tarr argued that the students aren't advocating for an all-out war against the Second Amendment, but rather for measures that will allow students to go to school in safety.

"Ultimately that is our goal, to make the world safer, to make our country safer, because this is an American issue," she said.

Colbert also addressed the student activism on "The Late Show".

He began by describing his initial reaction to news of the shooting and to the subsequent statements by government representatives like Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

Host Trevor Noah also highlighted the students' action, jokingly stating that "those meddling kids" are the biggest difference in the reaction to this latest episode of gun violence.

--IANS

ks/nn