Comedian Trevor Noah is catching heat for his criticism of an officer-involved shooting at an Alabama mall that left an innocent Black man dead over the Thanksgiving holiday.
“The Second Amendment isn’t intended for Black people,” he opined. “It’s an uncomfortable statement, but it’s true.”
Trevor Noah argued that Black Americans “have no business” bearing arms unless they want to end up dead. (YouTube / video screenshot)
Police in Hoover, Ala. responded to calls of a shooting at the Riverchase Galleria Mall last week, later reporting they’d killed the suspect: 21-year-old Emantic Bradford Jr., who officers said had opened fire and wounded two people. Police later admitted to killing the wrong guy, saying Bradford likely didn’t pull the trigger and that the real shooter was still at large.
Noah, who hosts “The Daily Show,” seemed perturbed by the whole situation and couldn’t help but ask, “why does this shit keep happening?”
“Cops are called into a situation, they see a Black person and then immediately they shoot,” he told his studio audience.
The story surrounding Bradford’s death has continued to change as Hoover police struggle to get its facts straight. Police initially said the Army veteran was seen fleeing the scene and brandishing a gun, but later said he hadn’t brandished the weapon but was simply holding it.
Picking apart the “good guy with a gun” narrative, Noah said, “What’s wild about the story for me is that even if we work within a world where the police truly believe [Bradford] was the shooter, how many times have we seen a shooter who is white and a man get talked down?”
The host proceeded to rattle off a list of instances where white mass shooters were taken alive by police, including the deadly theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., and the massacre at a historic Black church in Charleston, S.C., that left nine parishioners dead.
In Bradford’s case, Noah it said looked like “he was a good guy with a gun” who stepped in to save the day. However, “if the good guy with the gun happens to be a Black guy with a gun, they don’t get any of the benefits.”
The comic that Black folks “have no business” bearing arms unless they want to end up dead, adding, “if you’re a Black person in America, gun rights aren’t for you.”
Noah’s comments rubbed some people the wrong way and sparked a torrent of hate from online critics.
“False, [the Second Amendment] is intended for everyone,” one Yahoo user commented. “But Trevor wants to keep the plantation mentality alive. His paycheck depends on it.”
“What a great way to keep the victim mentality alive,” another chimed in. “I haven’t read anything, anywhere that even remotely suggests that the 2nd Amendment isn’t inclusive of ALL American Citizens.”
Another dismissed Noah’s comment as divisive and argued the Second Amendment “allows me to protect myself against anyone if threatened — Regardless of race, color, creed, religion, etc … Noah ought to remember he’s not a U.S. Citizen and that his opinion means shize.”
Watch more in the video below.
