Welcome to "Full Frontal."
I am Samantha Bee.
First order of business-- damn, Virginia, you look good, today.
[CHEERING]
Hey, did you lose some dead weight?
Virginia really is for lovers because I
want to love all over your beautiful blue map
all the way to a messy climax.
Sorry, Blacksburg.
You're in the wet spot.
And a special congratulations to Virginia's
new delegate, Chris Hurst.
REPORTER 1: Chris Hurst, the boyfriend of a reporter shot
and killed on live TV in 2015, also elected in Virginia,
upsetting a three-time Republican incumbent
backed by the NRA.
REPORTER 2: Hurst running on a gun
control platform, an issue he says
was important to them both.
As great as these democratic victories feel,
they only matter if we use them to keep
fighting the important battles.
And after the week we've had, there
is nothing more important to me than gun control.
Look, I would love to not talk about gun massacres,
but we can't ignore them.
That's Congress's job.
When asked about what we can do about this epidemic
of killings, Republicans wasted no time releasing
their comprehensive plan.
These savvy politicians have a few different moves to dodge
the issue of gun violence.
They're stalling.
I mean, we could go into it, but it's a little bit
soon to go into it.
We don't need politics right now.
Mistakes are made when we try to hastily legislate issues.
Gun control and all of that-- it's not the time.
The rush to judgment, particularly by people
who are just to see politics-- it's disrespectful to the dead.
Oh, Kellyanne should know as someone who's
been dead inside for decades.
How is it not the time?
93 Americans a day die from gun violence.
It's like if a scary clown was killing 93 people per day,
and Congress was like, it's not the right time
to talk about the clown.
Oh, you wouldn't want to eat him, Pennywise.
He's all sinew and protein supplements.
And after Sunday's shooting in Sutherland Springs,
Texas's governor tried to comfort us.
We think that this is something heavy right now.
But put this in the context of history.
Look at what happened with Hitler.
Cool, buddy.
It's better than the Holocaust is not a high bar to clear.
Of course, when politicians want to dodge
the issue of gun violence, nothing
beats the timeless classic.
REPORTER: "Cecilia and I want to send our sincerest thoughts
and prayers." - Thoughts and prayers.
Thoughts, prayers.
REPORTER: "Karen and I send prayers."
- The power of prayer. - Thoughts and prayers.
The right thing to do is to pray in moments like this.
Because you know what?
Prayer works.
I'm sorry, but unless you're praying to the Aztec god
Quetzalcoatl and these mass shootings are human sacrifices,
your thoughts and prayers are not working.
Now, I don't want to belittle the devout beliefs of Second
Amendment enthusiasts.
We all know God wants us to have guns.
He says it right there in the Nine Commandments.
But thoughts and prayers are not a substitute for action.
And pretty much all Americans want action on this.
REPORTER: Almost all American voters, 94%,
including 93% of Republicans, support background
checks for all buyers.
94%.
Of course, the other 6% are actually half-gun.
Aww, he's so handsome.
He's going to be a real lady-killer.
Even 74% of NRA members support universal background checks.
But most people don't know that because scary Selena Gomez here
is the face of the NRA right now.
These saboteurs slashing away with their leaks and smears,
their phony accusations, and gagging sanctimony
drive their daggers through the heart of our future.
Their fate will be failure, and they will
perish in the political flames.
Oh god!
Is this what I sound like to conservatives?
[LAUGHTER]
Come on.
Responsible gun owners, you are better than this.
America's gun obsession is literally killing us.
It's almost as if firearms are the only thing we think about.
There isn't a silver-bullet solution.
- No silver bullet. - Silver bullets.
No magic bullet.
Triggered the shooter.
Is a better shot legally.
We don't really know exactly what happened
or why police felt they had to open fire.
So isn't Hillary Clinton jumping the gun?
Oh, that's a terrible-- forget I said that.
Not using gun metaphors?
Now that would be something worth taking a stab at.
Oh my god.
OK.
Look, the Republican Party has completely bought into the myth
that the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun
is a good guy with a gun.
But that is not fair to ask of our nation's many good guys.
Good guys should be helping people move couches
and lending you their Netflix password.
They shouldn't have to risk their lives
in a church parking lot to protect
the world from a monster.
I mean, thank god there was a good guy nearby,
but Devin Kelley still shot almost
every person in that church.
In our country today, a lot more good guys
are getting stopped by guns, not to mention good women,
good children, good grandparents,
good teachers, good country fans, and good Christians.
We will never eliminate gun violence from our society,
but there are practical steps we can take to slow it down.
We just need Congress to step up.
If any legislators are accidentally watching my show
because they fall asleep during "Big Bang Theory,"
listen to me.
America appreciates your thoughts and prayers.
But we need more than that.
So while you all are praying for God's help, all we can do
is pray for yours with a little help
from the Harlem Gospel Choir.
[APPLAUSE]
(SINGING) Oh, lord, we pray one day
we'll do more than pray.
What if we did something in addition to praying?
Like seriously, literally, anything.
But mostly, God, I'm talking about legislating.
[CHEERING]
(SINGING) Awesome Father, you've given us so much power.
Yeah, lord.
You give us the faith to make mountains cower.
But can fair pass universal background check law?
Sorry not to get too political on you, God.
Oh, lord, we pray.
We pray.
One day we'll do more than pray.
Oh, lord, we pray.
Do you count tweets as prayers, God?
Oh, lord, we pray one day we'll do more than pray.
One day we'll do more.
Oh, lord, we pray one day we'll do more than pray.
And get some balls to Paul Ryan.
And give McConnell balls.
Oh, lord, we pray.
Give him some balls.
One day we'll do more than pray.
Oh, lord, we Pray Give him some balls.
One day we'll do more than pray.
Give him some balls.
[CHEERING]
You are amazing.
Thank you so much.
We will be right back.
[THEME - "FULL FRONTAL"]