Trevor Noah Questions Why Americans Are ‘Afraid’ to Talk About Guns

2 minute read

Trevor Noah joined a number of his fellow late night hosts in responding to the Las Vegas shooting — the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history — with a call to action to end gun violence.

During Monday’s episode of The Today Show, the host decried the tendency of some Americans to sidestep the topic of gun control in the wake of mass shootings. “I feel like people are becoming more accustomed to this type of news,” he said. “I almost know how it’s going to play out. We’re shocked; we’re sad; thoughts and prayers; and then almost on cue, people are going to come out saying, ‘Whatever you do, when speaking about the shootings, don’t talk about guns.'”

Noah went on to call for an end to placing the blame for gun violence on things other than guns, including security at the Mandalay Bay hotel.

“We seem to do everything to avoid talking about guns. I’ve never been to a country where people are as afraid to speak about guns,” he said. “Every time there’s a shooting, you got to look at something else: Is it Muslims…Is it blacks…Is it mentally ill people? Is it white nationalists? Every time it’s a different question. And now after this incident in Las Vegas, we’re asking a new question: Is it hotels?”

Watch the full clip below.

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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com