The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Jordan Klepper Solves Guns

Episode Date: April 15, 2023

From the nation's capital to the woods of Georgia and beyond, Jordan Klepper talks with lawmakers, militia members, and more to solve America's gun crisis once and for all. This special originally aired in June, 2017. Watch more at https://www.youtube.com/comedycentral.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Hey there, this is Jordan Clepper, and you're about to hear my special from a few years back, Jordan Clepper solves guns. Spoiler alert, I did not solve guns. It was a hyperbolic comedic premise meant to highlight the uniquely American problem of gun violence. It's an hour-long documentary special inspired by some of my daily show field pieces where I attempt to get at the heart of the gun control debate in America by talking with people on both sides, including Senator Corey Booker and my dad's cousin, Pete.

You can watch the full video version on Comedy Central's YouTube and be sure to catch me hosting the Daily Show all next week at 11, 10 p.m. Central on Comedy Central. I'm entering a war zone. I'm going to embed in a country with over 300 million guns. A country where in 2014, 33,000 people died due to gun violence, a country whose citizens are 25 times more likely to be murdered by a gun than any other civilized nation. Welcome to America. You overshot it. Back up, back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back, than than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, than, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi. We, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thi., the, tha., tha., tha. You overshot it. Back up, back, back, back, back, back, back, back. Good? The country I'm talking about is America. Good? Go, we don't have a permit. Shit. Guns turns American as apple pie and short-changing female workers. We buy them in bulk, tattoo them over our abdomen, and use them to kill more people

than any other developed country. All-out panic Sunday morning after a gunman opens fire. It was a pretty nasty fight that preceded the deadly shooting. Suicides at gun ranges are rare in our area, but it has happened before. And America is only getting gunnier, after electing the most pro-second amendment and least, First Amendment president in recent memory. The NRA has led the fight time and time again to protect our fundamental freedoms. Leading the charge, the National Rifle Association, by supporting Trump's campaign

with $30 million, the bigliest amount spent by any outside group. And they don't mind bragging about it in one of their classic green screen rants. Gun owners made this election happen. You were the special forces that swung this election and sent Donald Trump and Mike Pence to the White House. With the 2016 campaign behind them, the NRA has set its sights on a homegrown enemy. The anti-second amendment. Political and media elites.

The government elite. Buoycratic elites. But who are these mysterious elites who want nothing less than to rip guns away from hard, working Americans? Me. Who am I? I'm Jordan Clepper. I'm enlightened. I'm progressive. And I feel like I was put on this earth to enact the the to enact to enact the to enact the to enacten the to enacten the to enacten the to ea the the the the the the the the then, then, thecken, th. thecken, theckeckeckeckeckeckeckecke, thi, the, the, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th... I'm, th... I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. thi. thean thean thean tean tean.ean.euroea.euroea.ea.ea.ea.ea.ea.ea.e. the theuroeuroeuroea. feel like I was put on this earth to enact righteous change. A, A, I'm a 2017 comedian.

I have four brown rice cooker, 12 gay friends, and five podcasts. I tweet blogs, meme think pieces, and tumble gifts. Powerful, thought-provoking gifts. Follow me on Instagram. As a television personality, I've repeatedly reported on America's obsession with guns. Despite my incredible efforts, guns are still a problem. Apparently five-minute segments aren't enough to solve America's gun crisis. Thankfully, Comedy Central has given me an hour-long special, but today I don't just report on America's gun crisis, I solved the motherfucker. It's time somebody solved the mothe.

It's time somebody solved guns, i.e., stop the 33,000 gun deaths that happen in America every year. But first, I need to define the problem. Guns. What is a gun? If you ask an NRA lobbyist, he might say. The gun is a symbol in American politics. As much as it's a real thing, it's also a symbol.

Yeah, the gun is a symbol of a dick. If you got a little one, you go and get a gun. It's like the Corvette for paranoid people. But how does that symbol impact a mother from the south side of Chicago? I'm seeing gun violence in homes. I'm seeing gun violence in schools. It's not a suburban problem or a city problem. Not one more. It's not a suburban problem or a city problem. It's an American problem. Not one more. Not one more.

The most violent places in this country have the strictest gun controls. But the pain of gun violence is being felt across the country. In 2016, my hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan, once known mainly for its booming salary industry, micro breweries, and the country's first outdoor pedestrian mall came to prominence for something much more horrific. A prosecutor says Uber driver Jason Brian Dalton gunned down and killed six people Saturday in Kalamazoo, Michigan. We are a community that is much more than this episode of violence.

My family is from Kalamazoo. It's where I learned to wear a tie-in shorts. This just got personal. Our country has 300 million guns, or, technically speaking, a shitload of guns, in the hands of 110 million gun owners. My goal, get those guns out of those trigger happy hands. I needed someone in power who shared my outrage when hearing

that 92 people die every day from gun violence. There is enough blood, there is enough death, enough killing going on. We have all the evidence we need that we need to do more. Doing nothing is unacceptable. That was my guy. Senator Corey Booker has fought to keep guns off the streets of Newark and battled Congress to pass common sense gun reform. We'd figure out how to get rid of guns over international pancakes. Let's say this plate is America. Something on this plate will kill you.

Bacon slash guns. Right. Americans love bacon slash guns. But too many Americans die because of bacon slash guns. So how do we stop dumb people from eating bacon? Well, first of all, you are ridiculously condemning when you call people dumb

and you insult their intelligence. All right, Dad. I don't want to take away their bacon or their guns. You're a Democrat, right? I am a Democrat. A liberal? I am a guy that could be considered a liberal in my views. Okay, so am I.

So between you and me, when are we getting rid of the Second Amendment? Well, we're not going to get the to get their to get to get their to get their to get to get to get their to get to get to get their to get to get their their their to get their their their their their their their their their their their their bacon their bacon their bacon their bacon their bacon their their their their their their their bacon their their bacon their their their bacon their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their tha.. ta. ta. ta.a.a. ta.a.a.a.a. ta.a. ta.a. their their their their bacon, their bacon, their their the want to do. Because you can't do it? No, in order to make people safe, we don't need to throw out one of our constitutional amendments. Yeah, but I mean, come on. How many constitutional amendments do we have? Well, we've thrown out some in the past, which I'm really happy we did. Yeah, you got to update these things. thiiii thin. thin. thi th I I I I I thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi tha tha to to to to to to to to to to to thooooooooooooooooooo to to to to thoooo to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their their their the guns and somebody's coming after their guns. That is not a necessary thing. More bacon slash guns, please. Booker, like many other Democrats, felt like his hands were tied. Last June, in response to the Pulse nightclub shooting, senators filibustered the police. theirsecks' theirterrorist watch list, while House Democrats staged a sit-in which resulted in shit-all. Efforts to pass any meaningful regulations continue to get shot down by Republicans and the gun lobby. Insisting these liberal elites are

coming for your guns. The tactic has been not only we going to not pass background-check laws or close a terrorist loophole, but we're also going to take those agencies that could be helping us the CDC ATF and we're going to cripple them. One agency that's being crippled is the ATF's national tracing center. Police nationwide use the tracing center to track firearms, solve violent crimes and catch criminals before these weapons can be used again. I met with former ATF agent David Chippman to see the front line of America's War on Gun Crime. Why are we here?

Well, we're here because we're in a location that's vastly superior technology-wise than ATF's Tracing Center. This is the forefront of our battle against guns. This place with a guy masturbating over there at that computer. The technology at the tracing center is like this library 30 or 40 years ago. So like the library and the first ghostbusters? Please tell me the tracing center, at least now has women in it.

There are women at the tracing center. The reality is because they don't have computers, because they have just... They what? They don't have computers? It's against the law to have computers that house a searchable database that might be construed as a registry of guns in America. That's right, the country's only federal facility that helps police officers trace and solve gun crimes is literally forbidden to use computers to search gun records. Thanks to the lobbying power of the NRA, a 1986 federal law made it illegal for the tracing center to use searchable databases of any kind in what legal scholars have called one of

the most just plain dickish laws in history. So instead of solving murders using basic computing tools, the tracing center's roughly 50 employees process over 370,000 requests a year, scrambling through walls of boxes and going blind scanning micro-fiche machines from the 70s in 2017. Oh yeah, they also have so many boxes they fear their floor could cave in. They keep records in steel storage spaces outside and they receive about 2 million new gun records a month. And you better hope they aren't in an Excel spreadsheet.

So if ATF receives any information from a gun dealer in an Excel spreadsheet, which is searchable, they have to go through a complicated process of dumbing that information down. Do you guys actually have to make it harder for yourselves? Yes. A law enforcement agency needs to spend tax dollars making a document dumber. Why do Americans make it so hard on ourselves to fix this gun problem? The NRA raises a lot of money based on fear. They can make people scared that the big bad government, agents like me, flying in black helicopters, that if we had computerized gun records,

then the government would take the guns. We are so fucked. As I dramatically portrayed moving through this children's library with an ease and grace unknown to ATF agents, it became all too clear. Because of the gun lobby in America today, it's easier to find gun, the book, than gun, the gun. And that's satire, right? And that's irony. And that's coincidence. Is it metaphor? the problem is, is when it comes to getting legislation passed? There's a lot of people out there, they're just pressured by the NRA not to getting legislation passed, there's a lot of people

out there that are just pressured by the NRA not to take a step out and do what most Americans want them to do. So what can we do? A guy like me. Just a regular old guy who's a celebrity on TV with millions of followers, what can a little me do? Go forth and seek the truth and then tell people about it. Maybe if we get the tracing center some computers, that's at least a step in the right direction.

It is a, not a step, that would be a leap into the 21st century that's necessary. I'll let me a good leap. Cold in my heart, you follow me, will I'm down there for the dawn and boat you know. I didn't know. Now I didn't know. There was a hoist or a wailone. I didn't know. Yeah, I was a horse or a man.

In a windowless cargo van packed, full of progress, I made my way into West Virginia, hoping to solve... Something. progress, I made my way into West Virginia, hoping to solve something. I can see you, but I have no idea what you're even doing here. Drop it off some computers here for the tracing center just to try to upgrade some of their technology. Can I just leave it here? Is there somebody? It's some good stuff? It's some good stuff. Take a 911 phone.

Okay. She's t going to ban guns. And apparently when it comes to using technology to help deal with gun crime, the bureaucracy was thicker than I thought. The government was beholden to the NRA, and the NRA's power stemmed from one off-debated sentence written at a time when guns were muskets and Lightning was witchcraft. The Second Amendment. For over 200 years, it's been consistently upheld by elected officials, and in 2008, the Supreme Court narrowly ruled that it still granted all citizens the right to have guns. A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of

the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 27 words, and come a placement so strange, it may be responsible for thousands of deaths a year. Militias may have been in vogue in 1791, but are they actually relevant today? The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist groups, estimates there were 276 active militias last year, up from 42 in 2008. Okay, so militias are booming, and they're clearly among the biggest proponents of the Second Amendment.

I found one of those militias in the Deep Red South, the Georgia's security force. We the people are bloodthirsty. We the people will have no mercy. We are the predators. You the prey. Where the government failed, I would triumph. I would infiltrate the dark heart of the gun debate and convince militias to give up their guns. If I could do that, then the rest of the gun owners would surely follow. And once and for all, guns would be solved. The Georgia State Militia is led by Chris Hill.

Jordan. The Georgia state militia is led by Chris Hill, or as he prefers to be called, General Blood Agent? Yes, sir. What would it take for me to convince you that you don't need a gun anymour? You probably have to check my pulse? So the only way I'm going to get your gun is to pry it out of your cold, dead hands? Absolutely. Or after I run out of ammo.

Yeah. You want to come and take it? Sure, we'll disarm one bullet at a time. Fine, my master plan of asking nicely had failed. This group of 40-odd members who met once a month were serious about one thing, training, and keepsaking their training, two things. I need to earn their trust. So what is behind this need to have giant firearms?

We are going to stand up for the Second Amendment right. We are not going to yield one iota. I personally feel like the government has breached its contract with the people. The house, they constantly put bills on the floor, limiting the type of firearm you can have, or limiting the magazine capacity of these weapons, or creating gun-free zones. Do you really feel like the government is limiting your access to guns? I think I tripped over the the the the the the the the the the th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, to th, th, to th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th, thi, thi, are threat, thi, are thin, is thoom, is thoom, is tho, is tho, is tho, is thi, is the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th, is th, is th, is th, is th, is th, is to, is th. th. th. th th th th th th th thin, is thin, is thin, is thin, is thrown, throwne, throwne, toguu.e, toguu.ea, togu.e, togui, togui, throwne, throwne, th guns and I think I tripped over four on the way here. If I want an automatic weapon, fully automatic I should have a

fully automatic weapon. Should you? It's to protect myself from harm and and more importantly to protect our country from tyranny. I feel safe knowing that there's people like us that if there's a gunman and it's not in a gun-free zone there that can kill the individual that's at at at at at at at at at at at at at at at the the the the the the the the the the the the the thiiiii. zone, there may be somebody there that can kill the individual that's attempting to harm other people. That sounds great but it's been shown that a good guy with a gun does not stop a bad guy with a gun. You're not hanging out in those malls. You guys are out here in the fucking middle of nowhere once. I guess that depends on what demographic you're

looking at because some people are talk about it and some people are going to be about it. We're going to defer to Bamcus. Well, I'm more confused than ever. I need to understand the methods of these man scouts. So I took in an intense lecture by blood agent. Unit, Russian, Infant regulars, equipment, AK-47s, RPGs, things of that nature. Not feed the cow, but shit like that.

As the group prepares to go on a top-secret reconnaissance mission, I realized they were never going to give up their guns to some buttoned-up East Coast liberal. I have to make an effort to fit in, to become one of them. Does everybody here get a cool nickname? Yes, sir. If you don't have one, we'll help get one for you. Could I be a cold brew? Or if that? Yes, sir. Feels very bold yet smooth finish? Oh, yeah, definitely. I have my name. Time to gear up. Right, I'll chain.

Yeah, okay. Hey guys, huh? Huh? Oh my God, he's got a camouflage tie. I got the hint. No. Blood agent. What do you think? Hey, thanks?

Huh? Oh, the ti. He's got a camouflage tie. I got the hints. No. Blood agent. What do they? Though I have adopted their wardrobe choices, it still feels like openly carrying a weapon is less about safety and more about intimidation.

Is it threatening you in any way right now? Yes. How? You're wearing a rifle. Do you not think this is at all threatening? No, it's not being banished. You're fucking Santa Clausing it right out at me right now. So that, you're pointing it at me by wearing a rifle. So law enforcement points to serve weapons that you wear, you see them. But they're also wearing badges that are like we are law enforcement. I'm trying to see these guns as something other than weapons of war. But it's tough since they are are are they are they are they are thaped they are thoped are th of th trapped th trapped th trapped th trapped th trapped th trapped th trapped th trapped th trapped th trapped th trapped th trapped that like the Newtown gun or is that the Aurora gun? Is it the Orlando gun?

No. No? No. Simme. This is Tannerite? Yes. What are you going to do with it? Well, we're going to blow up the hogs head.

Guys and shot. George. George, look out for the gun. One more shooter. Right now they have the severed head of a pig that they're prying open with a knife so they can fill it with explosives to shoot it with a gun. Tannerite. Tanerite.

It's not explosives. Just just just just just like just like just like just not explosives. Just like the founding fathers did it. No, they use black powder and cannonballs. Right. So. I'm failing to connect. And the line between training and camping is getting blurier by the second. Somebody poured gasoline on the fire, right?

Yeah, that's a, that's a bad move. Yeah. I am desperate to plant the seed of sanity by any means necessary. You want to hear a scary story? Yes. There's a babysitter who put the child she was babysitting to bed. It was a quiet night and suddenly the phone rings unexpectedly, and she picks it up. On the other end of the phone, somebody tells her that most gun accidents happen inside the house. Okay. That if you have a gun inside the house, you're more

prone to be open to an accident inside the house. This is hopeless. All they want to do is shoot stupid guns at a stupid pig's head. Oh! Oh! This idea that good guys with guns would make our country safer proved questionable when after a full day of training, a dozen Georgia good guys struggled to blow up a pig's head with over 200 rounds of ammo. The spirits are a little bit down. They're going to reprop the pig back up because it fell down and they're going to try

to shoot it again. Third time is the chart. Fourth time is the fourth. Fourth time, fourth time's the charge. Fire! Fire! The Second Amendment purists won't give up their guns even a little. I have failed. Looks like I'm in for a long night. Spending the night with the militia is a harrowing experience. It's open.

And one I hope to never have. Is that the flowerless chocolate cake? Put it on the bed. One of them called himself Killzone. You want to hang? Uh, no thank you. So the tracing center won't accept my tax deductible solution. This is all I can afford, to be honest, it's just from the 80s.

And the militia refuses to be swayed by my Shelley-esque tales. Have you heard the scary story of the gun show loophole? No. No. Reading one of my favorite liberal fact blogs I hit this. If just one in every 100 voters shifted from Trump to Clinton, Hillary would have been president. And that's from Nate Silver who statistically has never ever been wrong. Bingo! Changing one person's mind could be just as effective as swaying millions. And that's not a lowering of expectations, it's just being smart.

I don't need to change all gun owners' minds. I just need to change one. I need a place with minds that could be easily swayed. And then it hit me. I was from from from from th. I was th. I was th. I was th. I was th. I th. th. th. thee, a the, the, the, the, the, the, to to the, to to to to to to to toe, toe, thiole, toe, thecked, thecked, thecked, to, to, thoomeck. Chn, to change to change thi. Che, thi. Chan, thi. Chan, thi. Chan, thi. Chan, thi. Chan, thi. Chan, thi. Chan, th. Chan, th. Chan, th. Chan, the, the, the, the, the, to c. Chlain, to c. Chlain, to c. Chlain, toean, toean, toean, toean, toean, changing thean, changing thean, changing thean, thean easily swayed, and then it hit me. I was from there. Michigan, a blue state gone red. It is time to head home. Mr. Mayor.

Mr. Clever, how are you, sir? Welcome, to the tele. Mr. Clemmon, told me this. the gun debate like here. Kalamazoo. Bobby, tell me this. What is the gun debate like here in Kalamazoo? We've had a tragedy in our community. What we're trying to do in Kalamazoo is figure out how you move forward. This tragedy will not define us. It will not divide us, and it will not defeat us.

Even in the months following the mass shooting in Kalamazoo, the community and legislators were having difficulty addressing gun violence. Right now a lot of the legislators are worried about what the NRA is going to say about that type of legislation, even though the vast majority of voters support it. Is the NRA that much of a boogieman here? The NRA spends a lot of money on elections, and they don't just do that in the federal level, they do it at the state level too. Michigan Ed Helms was right. The gun debate tends to focus on national policy, but many battles are being fought more on the local level. In places like Michigan, state legislators

need to raise between 50 to $100,000 in campaign contributions every couple of years just to stay competitive. One big donation can make or break a small race, giving well-funded national groups more power to influence local politicians than their constituents. I've been trying to get people to get rid of guns. Is that going to happen here in Kalamazoo? No. People use guns in their daily lives here in Michigan.

I think you're really missing where the real conversation is. It happens in the middle. Okay, so if I was going to find the gun the the the the the the their, thi, to find, to find, their, to find, to find, to find, to find, to find, to find, to find, to find, to find, the to find, to find, the to to the to the to, to, thi, to the their, their, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, thi. thi. to, thi. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So, thi. So, thi. So. So, thi. So, thi. We. We. thr. toda. today, try. tttry. ttry. try. tttry. tttry. tttry. tttthe thea. thea. tttttthetalk to some gun owners. See what they think. I came up with the idea all by myself to talk to some Michigan gun owners. From everything I've seen on television I expected gun owners to act like this. 1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms. Do you understand? Instead they acted like this. Kind of normal. But where is that malleable mind I could convince to to to to to to to their to their their to their their their their their their their their their their their their to their their their their to to to to to to to to to their their their to to to to to to to to talk to to talk to talk to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I their their their their their their their their the. I. I'm. I just. I'm. I'm. I just. the. I'm. I'm. toe. toe. toe. I'm. to. I'm. I'm. I'm to. I'm to. I this. Kind of normal. But where is that malleable mind I could convince to give up their gun? I need a foolproof structure that boils down the stories of middle Americans and makes them sparkle. Seven moderate gun owners. Hi, my name is Sheila. Gary. Tim. I'm a gun owner. I own three shotguns. I own

three pistols. My hobbies are listening to music. Um, model railroading. I will choose one and change their mind about guns. Welcome to the moderate. Looks like our first guest is coming on up. It's a beautiful Anderson Castle. It's a balmy six degrees. I'm looking for someone to fall in love with.

My ideas. Gary, nice to meet you. Thanks for pulling the trigger and coming on out. Very good. David, nice to meet you. Just everybody. Just, it's too fucking cold. Get in there, yeah. Yeah.

Welcome to Historic Henderson Castle and Historic Kalamazoo. I'm excited to taught you guys one-on-one, get to know you. We're going to talk about life, love, guns, mostly guns, mostly be talking about guns. Mostly be talking about guns. Hi. Tell me, who is David the gun owner? David the gun owner is a kid that grew up in a household that had literally a firearm in every corner. Did you grow up in Mogadishu? Wellesboro, Pennsylvania. Very rural. Built my first firearm with my grandfather.

I built a savings account with my grandpa. I built a savings account with my grandpa. So, similar. Let's try to find some common ground on things that don't involve killing something. I like comedy. Great. Have you seen any of my stuff? I have not. Even though you're all over YouTube, I didn't even sit and to know that you were from Kalamazoo. Great, but you didn't see any of the videos.

No. Ah! None of my videos. Wow. I thought it went very well. I'd love to talk to him more about this. Bye. Rick. Hi.

Hi. I'm Rick. I'm from Detroit, Michigan. I run a blog called Legally Armed in Detroit. My relationship with firearms started approximately 11, 12 years ago. I was surprised by two 1920-year-olds who were armed with a gun. I went and I purchased a firearm. Then I made a decision to become a firearms instructor. Definite vibe going on with Rick. We'll get a chance to talk a little bit later. There are a lot of fully loaded mind here that I could see myself going to the range with.

Literally, I've taught thousands of women how to shoot. The self-confidence that they get out of learning something new. Doesn't necessarily have to be a firearm. Do men get self-confidence after shooting? Absolutely. They do? I hit it off better with some than others. I don't like the word assault weapon. Every weapon's an assault weapon.

Mm-hmm. If I wanted to take your life bad enough, that is a weapon. That is a weapon. There is one mind here I know I'm going to relate to, because I'm literally related to him. Cousin Pete's a great guy. I've known him my entire life. How's the houseboat?

The duck boat is very good. You don't have a housebone? No, sir. He has not been around the family much lately. His whole career has taken him away from the area and so he's kind of out of touch. I know Pete the cousin. I know Pete the gun owner. I have three guns. They're all shotguns and I strictly use them for hunting. Pete listens, which is great because I like to talk to and at people.

I think you consider yourself open-minded when it comes to guns? I would be willing to discuss to discuss to discuss to discuss to discuss to discuss to discuss. to discuss. to guns? I would be willing to discuss. That's almost a yes. It's group date time. I really need them to show me why they deserve to have their minds changed. NRA is a great program. They're the ones that are going to go and fight for our rights. If you don't know how a gun works or you're scared of it or whatever,

well let's talk about it. I brought three copies of the Constitution just in case. Trinidad and Mol-I don't know what we were going to encounter today. Jordan the simple truth is we have to take care of the drug trade. More people die from heroin over their gunshots than they do from gun country. It's like machine gunfire out there. This is perfectly quiet. Your wife wouldn't even know you were shooting upstairs. I live in New York, there's no upstairs. Do you want to take a little walk outside? We can. I had a chance to talk with Jordan.

There was some giving tag back and forth, some good exchanges. I'm armed unless I have a reason not to be. Fundamental safety is the responsibility of each individual and not law enforcement. If he is willing to share where he's coming from and see where that conversation goes, I'd be open to it. This is really hard. This is really hard. Unfortunately, some of you have to go home tonight. I think Ian, you have a hard out at 7 for a parent-teacher conference?

Yes. Either way, it's goodbye. Now is the time where I have to choose. One of you, whose mind I will change. And I choose. And I choose. Pete. Pete. Pete. the

Will you be my moderate? Absolutely. Why do I choose Pete? He seems moderate and open to discussion. When I try to change that dome of yours? Good luck with that. Great. Now he's my cousin, and I'm less likely to get shot by a family member. Really. Is the pencil guy still here? Is the pencil guy still here? Now he's my cousin, and I'm less likely to get shot by a family member. Really?

Is the pencil guy still here? Everybody else? Thank you. Should I follow you? Yeah, Pete, come just, yeah. Yeah. I had my moderate. that What up. Now I have to the

the the thawn What up. Now I need a surefire tactic to repair his pro-gun opinion. Luckily I have to look no further than the one organization that consistently hold sway over many gun-owning brains. The NRA.

The New York Times has labeled them the most effective civil rights group in the U.S. today, which is a real fuck you to everyone at the human rights campaign. Their tactics, highly localized political pressure, a buttload of fear, Americana, and patriotic manipulation delivered in front of a green screen by a man in a suit. The ultimate check and balance in this country is the American people. But perhaps the NRA's biggest asset, their intense year-round lobbying. Everyone says, oh, they run a grassroots lobby.

There really aren't very many of those, not the real deal. The NRA is the real deal. So what are their tactics? you you you you you you you you you you you you th. You you th. thiiiiiii. thiiiii. thiii. thiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. theee. theeei. thei. toei. thei. thei. thei. thei. thei. thei. thei. And, th, not the real deal. The NRA is the real deal. So what are their tactics? You use everything you can. Lobbyist is someone that is hired by someone else to represent their interests. It was a lot of people who feel like the systems against them. And they're hiring the NRA and me as a lobbyist to represent their interests and play the game for them. What do you do after being a NRA lobbyist? Cosby, apologist? A what better way to change a stubborn family member's mind than hiring a real-life lobbyist to do it?

So the next day I flew in Mark Anderson, a Florida-based certified lobbyist with over 15 years experience to convince Pete to give up his guns. That's a nice tune. Thank you. Pete has opinions I need him to lose and Mark has a case I need him to make. So we're heading to Great Lake Shipping Company Steakhouse where Kalamazoo's deal makers, bigwigs and Little League teams rub elbows. We'll put these cameras up on these tripods and I'm going to let you guys the tripods and I'm to let to let to let the to the to to the to to the to the the to the their to their their their their their their their their their their their to their to to their to their to to to their their to their their to to their th. That's th. That's th. That's th. That's th. That's th. That's th. That's th. That's their to their to to to to to their to their to to their their their their their their their their their their their their their tue. their tune. tune. I. I's tune. I'm their tune. I'm their tune. I'm tune. I'm their tune. I'm tune. tune. tune. I's tune. I'm tune. I'm Steakhouse, where Kalamazoo's deal makers, big wigs, and little league teams rub elbows. We'll put these cameras up on these tripods, and I'm gonna let you guys be. I gave Mark some facts about Pete, and I told him to try to get Pete to give up his guns

through whatever it is lobbyist to. Well, Pete's like to get to know you a little bit more. Just personally, can you tell me a little more about yourself? Why do you have a gun? I have guns for Dow Cunning. Enough with a chit-chat. It's time for the big guns. Statistics. Guns are designed for one thing and that's to kill. A woman's risk of being murdered increases 500 percent if a gun is in the home. When you look at the states and the states and cities the cities thaa s ca s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. the the. the. tipe. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. the states and the cities and even some of the countries that have gone through this, by making them less available, they have seen a significant decline in the number of gun deaths in their country. Statistics are great, but sometimes you need a little more information. I recognize these glazed overlooks from every family get together. Pete isn't buying it.

Well, Mark, there's one thing that I don't know if you know. It's, yes, guns are designed to kill things, but they're also fun. My daughter and son-in-law, duck hunt with me. We have lots of memories of that. Well, the good thing is that we're going to start,that we're talking to each other right I'm not going to get you to believe that guns are bad. Twitter, Twitter, we got to spice this up. You can't just throw in the towel like that. Mark's blah blah blah

approach had failed. Now it's on me to make Pete give up his guns. I'll have to bump up the game to lobbying 2.0. Pete needs to literally face facts. So I'm going to take those stats and put them on something no gun supporter can take their eyes off of. A god, damn, race, car. Guns are bad. The writing isn't just on the wall. It's also on two sides, the hood and the roof of the paced car of tr Truth. Pete should have no problem seeing that. I was the Dave Earnhardt Jr. of reason. Good old number, 33,599. Gun deaths per year. 33,59 people die from...

There's a stat on the other side. What is it? I actually haven't been able to see it. Gun violence kills more Americans than terrorism. 82% of firearms deaths have been in the U.S. When I left Florida, it was 77 degrees. Pete, what do you think? You changed your mind? No. What?

Don't you like NASCAR? No, sir. Seriously? No, NASCAR. You're you shitting me? You know how much this thing cost? Fuck. Pete wasn't open to negotiation. Hopefully the folks at the rental car agency were.

Apparently in today's America, it is a Herculean task to get anyone to shift their opinions. Even your own, flesh and blood. Pete! Pete's stands! As every third op-ed will tell you, we are a fractured country. More than eight in ten Americans say the nation is divided. But how difficult is it for the average American to legitimately change what their brain thinks? to find out I went out, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, to, to, to, to, to, to to to to tho, tho, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, today, tode, tode, tode, tode, tode, tod is divided. But how difficult is it for the average American to legitimately change what their brain thinks? To find out I went to Emory University to meet with Dr. Stephan Hammond, a psychology professor who

specializes in functional brain imaging. Let's say hypothetically I have a cousin named Pete and I'm trying to change his mind but it won't change even though it should because I have all of the facts and I'm on TVrying to change his mind. But it won't change, even though it should, because I have all of the facts, and I'm on TV for God's sakes. It's actually very, very difficult to change someone's mind, especially if you're trying to do it on a short-term basis. Because people develop their beliefs over almost a lifetime.

What about within, like, an hour special? Well, you probably don't want to to to to to to to to to the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their, their, thoome, thi, thoes, thoes, th don't want to give them charts and figures and those sorts of things. As a liberal, those are my weapons of choice. I come with a gun loaded with Malcolm, Gladwell, tidbits, and New Yorker think pieces. When people are confronted with information that doesn't match their beliefs, their political beliefs, the first response is an automatic threat response. So unfortunately, that tends to shut down rational thought. Even if that information's on a snazzy NASCAR? I don't think that makes too much of a difference. Okay, so that's $1,000 that you just never get back.

Shit. With selfless bravery usually shown only by astronauts and radiation scientists in disaster movies, I shall sacrifice my body for the betterment of our country. It's time to get a good look at my thinking machine. How are you doing there, Jordan? Good. Great. We're just about ready to start. Dr. Hammond showed me a series of images that gauged to both pro and anti-gun sentiment. It's like watching only the

boring parts of a clockwork orange. So what is this? These are visual areas so these would be lighting up when you're looking at visual things like pictures. What are these? Those are eyes. Just eyes. Okay. I'm just getting used to what I'm looking at but yeah I knew that. Oh I see it. One thing that's interesting for you though is when you were looking at the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th th. th. th. th. th. th. thi the thor thor th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thorou thorough. But yeah, I knew that. Oh, I see it. One thing that's interesting for you, though, is when you were looking at the pro-gun people, there's not a whole lot of activity. It's almost like you're not engaging. But when you're looking at anti-gun messages,

we found there's a lot of activation here when people are having positive emotion, and also when they're thinking about their own group. So what do you do when you confront somebody who is wrong with information that is obviously right? I think the first step would be to empathize with someone else. What if I weren't a liberal? What if I were a conservative? What kind of things would be important to me? Probably be really into guns.

I'd want to have a gun in my home. I probably would go to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to with a gun. I probably would go to church every now and then. I'd have a bald eagle. Can you own bald eagles? I don't know. So what I'm understanding here is it's important for me to see this issue from an other side. To say, don't, don't, no. That's, oh, OK.

I get to talk to the camera. That's the the the the the the the the the the thoe thoe thoe to be thoe to be thoe, to be thoe, thoe, thoe, thoe, to be to bea, to bea, I'm to be to be a thi. I'm thoomorrow, I'm to bea, I'm to bea, I'm thogea, I'm going thoombuea, I'm going thoan, I'm thiolome. thiolome. thiolome. I'm thiolk. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm th th th th th thin. I'm t t together. together. together. together. together, together, together, together, together, together, together, together, together, together, together, together, together. together. together. together. t talk to the camera. That's my audience I need to see this issue from another side a conservative point of view I'm gonna have to get gun is fire That's it the only way to solve guns is to change my own mind. I must learn not to fear the cold steel but to love it. I'd need to find a gun Shurpa someone who's sheer gunness will pass through and obliterate my preconceived notions like a hollow point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point point that that that that that that that the the the that the the that the the that the the the the the the the the of the the of the the of of of of of of of of of their of of of of their of of their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their point of their point of their point of their point point point point point point point of their point point point point of their point point point point of their point point of their point point point point of their point point point of their point point point point point of their point point point of their point point of their point point of their point of their point of their point of their point of the love it. I'd need to find a gun Sherpa. Someone whose sheer gunness will pass through and obliterate my preconceived notions like a hollow point, AR, something or other does. Someone exactly like this. All right, time for Blaze Ops. Simple mechanics drill today,

two mags of five rifle, two mags of five pistol. This is Pat McNamara, retired US Army Special Ops, turned tactical marksmanship instructor. Get you some of that! With a YouTube following almost as impressive as mine. If anyone could make soft, liberal me, gun as fuck, this is the dude. Wack and roll, burn it down! Look at that. Like a lion. You gonna help me get my blaze out? Yep, that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna gas it up and burn it down.

Okay, what does that mean? It's just, it's a slang term. Gassed it up and burn it down. Right, yep. Yeah, you'll catch on. Let's uh, shoot some guns. All right. Hey, real quick, fundamentals. Yeah. We need to make sure that we're gripping this correctly. Pat took me through the basics of gun safety. Ooh. Yep.

All emphasis on that guy right there. Yeah. He was like my own personal red state Don Quixote. Let's put some eyes blaze on. Let's get our blaze on. Yeah, right on. Rock and roll. Blaze on. It's intense right now. We're going to rock and we're going to roll. There's some sort of blaze ops that's about to happen. Gunslinger.

That's me. Just because you have a gun doesn't mean you're armed. It's a responsibility in conjunction with a fire. to get training. So you know safe operation of it and you could apply the fundamentals. We're gonna press out nice and slow with the trigger. The typical course of mine is 20 folks. Everything from top-level LEOs law enforcement officers to the assistant manager of the botanical gardens, librarians to a lot of IT guys. Could you make me a man Pat Mack? I could probably turn you around. Yeah, I had to a little work, just a little bit. Bam. Ready for that? I can't help but have second thoughts. No doubt Pat Mack is a cool guy who I totally want to make my besty. But am I seriously trying to become one with a semi-automatic? Professor Hammond's thesis about empathizing with the other side is foolish.

I hate guns, and that's a rock-hard fat. Oh my god. What is this feeling? Miss. You don't have to keep saying miss. We're going to get the heart thumping a little bit. We're going to buggy on over to that fast rope, climb. Cl. I. I have to keep saying miss. We're going to get the heart thumping a little bit. We're going to buggy on over to that fast rope, climb it, come back, load up the rifle, five

hits on the far steel, set it down, load up the pistol, five hits on the close steel. I'll demo it real quick for you. You ready? All right, stand by. Right. Right. With my heart pumping in more ways than one, I could feel the Second Amendment taking hold of me. Is this what all the hype is about? Are guns fun? My blue liberal brain is flooded with hot red blood and I can't help but feel conflicted.

Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I feel, burn it down. Burn it down. Yeah, blaze off. Blaze off. Blase ups.

I don't know how to handle this new feeling that I have. Yeah, three. Ooh, yeah! I feel, burn it down. Burn it down! Yeah, Blaze off! Blaze off! I don't know how to handle this new feeling that I have. I shot a gun and I enjoyed it. You liked it, yeah, it's a feeling of power. It really is. Do I need to feel guilty for liking that?

I don't think so. 33,000 people die thousand people die every year because of gun violence. Yeah, it's horrible. It's a lot of deaths. Yep. Not as many as cars. Well we regulate cars. Yeah. What do you think a universal background checks? I don't see any issue with it. What about like a waiting period? Is that too long? They have a three-day waiting period? Nope, it's not. No shan't. I don't know how we can close close this divide between the left side of the country the country the country the country the country the country of the country of of the country the country of of th of th of th of th of th of th of th of th of th of th th thi thi? thi? thi? Is thi? Is thi? Is thi? Is thi. Is thi. Is thi. Is thi. Is thi. Is thi. Is thi. Is thi. Is thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. te. te. thi. te. te. thi. how we can close this divide between the left side of the country who supports universal background checks and the other side of the country that supports universal background checks. I felt an incredible wave of realization. Have I not been listening?

Was there agreement? What about a background check? Yeah, if it's been adjudicated and a person has seen unfit, then, that, thin, th, the the the then, who thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's not their that's that's that's thi, who's that's thi, who's thi, who's thi, who's their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their that's that's their that's that's their that's their their their their thi? thateeateat's not thateateateateateateateate, theateateate, theateate, thi thi thi thi? thi? thi? thi? What about a background check? Yeah, if it's been adjudicated and a person has seen unfit, then yes, I would agree to that. Now, I know there are issues with the tracing center. Do you promote making it easier for ATF to get the job done? Whatever they have to do, the fixed system, what good is it going to member of the NRA, but I'm not sure that everything they do is in the best interest of everybody at hand.

Oh my God, there was common ground on both sides. I carried a gun for 25 years every day and I believe it helped me make the public safe and help keep me safe. Most people agree on most of the issues. It's just when it gets to Lansing or DC, somehow it all falls apart. We have much more in common than we do that divides us. Really? I profoundly believe that. Shit. There is one person I attempt to change a gun owner's mind. Now I want to know if we too share more than just partial DNA.

If you had to break down what I'm not hearing you say, what am I missing? Most of the legal gun owners have no issue with background checks, waiting periods, and regulating gun shows. We're not that different. Correct. Maybe we actually aren't that divided. Why had I been blaming these gun owners? Because I was listening to the loudest person on the block who represents like half of America, right? Technically, it's 5% of the gun owners in this country are members of NRA.

That's all. But in a democracy, 5% of activists can be a very powerful number of people. So out of 110 million gun-owning Americans, only 4 million actually belong to the NRA. A lot of Americans agree on common sense gun regulations, but the NRA and gun manufacturers distort the debate to make people feel like they disagree more than they actually do. In fact, much like the non-gun owners, 87% of gun owners and 74% of NRA members support criminal background checks for anyone buying a gun. So who does the NRA members support criminal background checks for anyone buying a gun. So who does the NRA actually represent?

You see, if the NRA was a dick, it'd be a very small dick that talks about how big their dick is but never whips it out because it's a small dick. Today I'm prepared to come face to face with that tiny penis. Association? And you are? Who are you looking for? I'm Television's Jordan Clepper. Your television's Coyne Jep? Who? I've been traveling across the country talking to a lot of different Americans. And it turns out the NRA doesn't seem to represent a lot of their own ideal. So I just wanted to have a meeting a little chinwag with some NRA folks. Okay, well, you have to, uh, I don't, I don't, I'm...

Well, that didn't work. Neither did tweeting or emailing or even voicemails. So, screw them. If you can't beat them, steal from them. A small group that affects big change. Their strength is the devotion of their members, aka people giving a shit. I finally know how to solve guns. Make you solve guns.

Totally counts. Doing nothing means 33,000 people die to gun violence next year. Imagine lowering that by just 3% or 1,000 lives. Imagine the impact that would have on the families and the communities. Do you know what I'm saying in America? If we pull together, really work hard, really fucking work hard, next year we could kill 32,000 people. So here's an idea. Forget less guns. Think more people. Saving lives doesn't mean cousin Pete can't go hunting with his daughter in Michigan.

Or that Pat Mack can't go shooting ARs while deadlifting kennel bells in North Carolina, or blood agent can't shoot at a pig. He's gonna miss. Saving lives starts right here. No, not here. Maybe, hopefully, here. Here. This is Tamar, a mother from Chicago. Who got tired of seeing violence in my neighborhood, so I decided to end it, even if I had to do it

myself. So I got a lawn chair, got some hot dogs, got a few friends, I went out to the corner, I started feeding people when giving out hugs and it's almost stopped gun violence in my neighborhood. I went for those hugs. They're absolutely free. Give me one of those. Come on here. You're leaving good money on the table. Tamara is just one American. One person is this percent of the population.

I'm not really sure how to say that number, but it's a pretty small percentage for the impact she's having. And Tamara's not alone in working to save lives. Lad heads up a group that was created in response to Orlando mass shooting. One pulse for America is a Facebook group that posts daily action alerts to pressure lawmakers to enact life-saving gun reform. Follow them on Facebook! Community outreach is important and so is education.

This is Chantay and Nancy from lipstick lipstick. You want to educate and empower women and girls to refuse to be used to take a life. I'm going to keep running. There's the National Network to End Domestic Violence. This is Kim. Three women every day are murdered in domestic violence overwhelmingly with a gun. It's our job to reduce that number.

Across America, there are tons of organizations that are actively working to lower gun violence. Whether you're a gun owner or not, there are things you can do to affect change. Too lazy to Google it? Yeah, thought so. That's why I created JordanClepper solves.com to hold your hand through the process of contacting organizations making a difference in your area. Saviing Americans is something we can all get behind. But maybe it's more easily digestible with a green screen and a cartoonishly patriotic message delivered by some guy in a suit.

What makes America America? Americans do. And since more Americans make America more American, 33,000 dead means less America. Let's make more America. Let's keep America more America. Let's keep fighting America. Let's keep fighting America. Preferably with something other than guns. So go online and do something.

And while you're there, maybe check out my YouTube videos. Do your thing. Explore more shows from the Daily Show Podcast Universe by searching the Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.