James Corden has spoken out against gun laws in a passionate speech on his chat show, The Late Late Show, following the tragic news that 18 students and two teachers were killed in a school shooting in Texas.
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In his opening speech, he said: "As you’ll know by now a gunman entered a school in Texas and killed at least 18 children and two adults. It’s unfathomable. As a father, I can’t imagine the horror of that phone call. When I dropped my kids off at school this morning, and kissed them goodbye, it doesn’t cross your mind that that could ever be the last goodbye.
WATCH: James Corden gives passionate speech about Texas school shooting
"The thought of that phone call that your child is the victim in a mass shooting is beyond comprehension as a human being. I am so deeply sad for the families of these children, the trauma of the survivors, and for the future these kids will never see."
He continued: "I don’t know what has to happen to change things here. I am constantly shocked by the number of people who must think this is an okay by product to never make meaningful changes to gun laws. It doesn’t make sense to me. This doesn’t reflect the country that I think America is. The America I’ve always admired - you have a problem and you solve it. You’re on the forefront of medicine, of technology, of innovation. When there’s a world war, you are the ones we turn to!
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Yet on this issue, America is one of the most backward places in the world. This year there have been no school shootings in England. This year there have been no school shootings in Japan. This year there have been no school shootings in Australia. This year there have been 27 school shootings in America, and 212 mass shootings. And we are five months into the year.
James spoke passionately about the shooting
He concluded: "I will probably be standing here talking in another week or two about another place. Words of "thoughts and prayers" will come from our leaders…. but I fear change never will. I hold out hope that this country will eventually wake up and change this senseless gun culture... while my heart simply goes out to everyone in Texas tonight."
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