Trevor Noah confronts Orlando shooting: 'We shouldn't allow this to be normal'

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Screen Shot 2016 06 14 at 10.01.54 AM

Comedy Central

Trevor Noah.

Trevor Noah, host of "The Daily Show," took on the Orlando mass shooting and the issue of gun control on his Monday night show, joining the list of late-night hosts who have spoken out against semiautomatic rifles in the aftermath of the attack. 

"The saddest part is every time this happens, it feels like America has already decided," Noah said. "This is exactly the kind of country it wants to be. Because we know how this always plays out: We're shocked, we mourn, we change our profile pics, and we move on. It's become normal.

"I'm sorry. Maybe it's because I'm new," Noah continued, referencing his outsider perspective on US gun policies as a South African comic. "But it's not normal. And it shouldn't be normal. We shouldn't allow this to be normal."

The extended opening segment featured a clip of President Obama's press conference following the horrific attack, which Noah noted was the deadliest in a long string of mass shootings that have taken place during the Obama presidency. 

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"I wonder if President Obama ever thought to himself that mass shooting speeches would be such a big part of his job," Noah said. "You know, at this point, he's hosted 12 state dinners, but has had to make 16 mass shooting addresses."

The segment also featured unsettling footage from 2011 of an Al-Qaeda spokesman describing how terrorists in America have ample and easy access to heavy artillery, which Noah parlayed to make an argument for gun-control reform in relation to the Orlando attack. 

"There's elements of terrorism, homophobia, mental health," Noah said. "But it is glaringly obvious: America needs to make it a lot harder for people who shouldn't have guns to get guns. To many of us, it seems crystal clear."

Watch the full clip below:

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