Cory Booker Tells Seth Meyers That U.S. Must Unite On Gun Safety

Ron Dicker

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) took his message to a national TV audience Monday night, reminding Americans that “reasonable gun safety legislation” will require a collective will.

“We forget the power that we have to make change,” Booker told host Seth Meyers on “Late Night.” “We didn’t get civil rights legislation because [former South Carolina senator] Strom Thurmond sat there and said, ‘OK, yeah, I’m gonna do that, I’m gonna give equal rights to folks.’ No, it was Americans demanding it, fighting for it, getting up every single day.”

In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting massacre, Booker and other Democrats introduced a bill that would ban “bump stock” modifications used in the killings that make semi-automatic weapons fire rounds more rapidly. But on the show, Booker focused on the overall problem of gun violence and how citizens can arm themselves with the resolve to make a difference.

“The opposite of justice is not injustice, it’s indifference, it’s inaction,” he said.

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Candles are lit during a vigil held at Las Vegas City Hall. 
Candles are lit during a vigil held at Las Vegas City Hall. 
A crowd starts to gather for the vigil. 
A crowd starts to gather for the vigil. 
Mourners place candles and flowers down on the ground during the vigil. 
Mourners place candles and flowers down on the ground during the vigil. 
A crowd gathers together for a candlelight vigil held on the north end of the Las Vegas strip. 
A crowd gathers together for a candlelight vigil held on the north end of the Las Vegas strip. 
Mourners attend a candlelight vigil at the corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.
Mourners attend a candlelight vigil at the corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.
 A vigil on the Las Vegas strip for the victims.
 A vigil on the Las Vegas strip for the victims.
People attend a candlelight vigil at the University of Las Vegas student union.
People attend a candlelight vigil at the University of Las Vegas student union.
People hold up candles during a vigil on the Las Vegas strip. 
People hold up candles during a vigil on the Las Vegas strip. 
People attend a candlelight vigil at the University of Las Vegas student union. 
People attend a candlelight vigil at the University of Las Vegas student union. 
People pray together during a vigil at Guardian Angel Cathedral. 
People pray together during a vigil at Guardian Angel Cathedral. 
Candles make up a large vigil on the Las Vegas Strip. 
Candles make up a large vigil on the Las Vegas Strip. 

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.