John Stewart: Opposing Gun Registration Makes it Harder for Cops to ‘Manage the Streets’

Jon Stewart faced off with an Oklahoma state senator on gun regulation and the Second Amendment, calling out the lawmaker for “hypocrisy at its highest order” for his contradictory stances. …

The comedian [accused Senator Nathan] Dahm of being a “Second Amendment purist” and bringing “chaos to order” by opposing background checks and registrations for firearms. Dahm argued the focus should be on individuals, especially ones from “fatherless” or broken homes, citing school shooters as often falling into one category or the other.

Stewart laid into Dahm for his hardline position.

“You don’t want anything that could help law enforcement or society determine whether or not a person is a good guy with a gun or a bad guy with a gun,” he said. “The registry would allow you to have much more effective background checks so I don’t understand why you won’t just admit that you are making it harder for police to manage the streets by allowing all of these guns to go out without permits, without checks, and without background stuff? Why can’t you just stand by that?”

“Because that’s not what I’m doing. I’m defending the individual’s right to keep and bear arms,” Dahm said. …

Stewart laid into Dahm during their final exchange, telling him he doesn’t “give a flying fuck” about protecting children:

Stewart: “What is the leading cause of death among children in this country? And I’m going to give you a hint, it’s not drag show readings to children.”

Dahm: “Correct, yes.”

Stewart: “So what is it?”

Dahm: “I’m presuming you’re going to say it’s firearms.”

Stewart: “No, I’m not going to say it like it’s an opinion. That’s what it is. It’s firearms. More than cancer, more than car accidents, and what you’re telling me is you don’t mind infringing free speech to protect children from this amorphous thing that you think of, but when it comes to children that have died, you don’t give a flying fuck to stop that because that shall not be infringed. That is hypocrisy at its highest order.”

— Zachary Leeman in ‘You Don’t Give a Flying F**K’: Jon Stewart Clashes With Second Amendment ‘Purist’ GOP Legislator on Gun Control, Drag Shows