Latest news with #DylannRoof
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
SC congressman again proposes closing ‘loophole' that allowed Charleston shooter to buy gun
Rep. Jim Clyburn speaks at his annual fish fry on Friday May 30, 2025. (Photo by Shaun Chornobroff/SC daily Gazette) A decade after nine people were gunned down in a Charleston church, South Carolina's lone Democrat in Congress is launching another effort to close the loophole that allowed the hate-filled shooter to purchase his gun. U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, accompanied by a quartet of House Democrats, announced Tuesday the latest proposal to give the FBI longer to complete a background check. Instead of letting a gun sale go through after three business days, the bill would give the FBI up to 20 business days to verify whether a customer checks out. A longer background check may have prevented the tragedy that shocked the nation June 17, 2015. A drug arrest should've prevented then-21-year-old Dylann Roof from buying the gun he used to kill people gathered for a Wednesday night Bible study at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston. But an FBI investigator didn't determine that in time to stop the sale. 'These were all constituents of mine, some of whom I knew very personally,' Clyburn, whose 6th District includes the historic Black church, said at a news conference in Washington, D.C. 'With the kind of background check we are talking about today, we would have prevented that because he would have never gotten a gun.' The gunman, an avowed white supremacist who wanted to start a race war, 'had cased the church. He had researched the church,' Clyburn said one week ahead of the 10-year anniversary. 'And he picked this church because of its history.' A federal jury convicted Roof in December 2016 on 33 counts of federal hate crimes and firearms charges. Weeks later, jurors sentenced him to death. He is among just three inmates left on federal death row after President Joe Biden pardoned 37 other prisoners in December. SC activists call for expanded gun background checks a decade after Mother Emanuel slaying In the aftermath of the shooting, the federal law allowing a licensed firearm dealer to continue with a sale after three days — regardless of whether the check has been completed — became known as the Charleston loophole. State and federal proposals to give the FBI more time have failed repeatedly. A month after the massacre, FBI Director James Comey outlined the clerical errors and jurisdictional confusion that let the gun sale go through, saying 'The bottom line is clear: Dylann Roof should not have been able to legally buy that gun that day.' Then-Gov. Nikki Haley said that knowledge made her 'literally sick to my stomach.' Her response was to criticize the FBI for still relying on paperwork, saying technology, not more time, is the solution. Pro-gun lobbying groups, including the National Rifle Association, remain staunchly opposed to extending background checks, arguing extended checks could put people in danger as they wait. The NRA has also noted that two months lapsed between Roof buying the gun and the shooting. The group contends extending the three-day required wait would not have stopped him. Nationwide, 22 states have either extended the wait for a background check beyond three days or eliminated the ability for a sale to proceed before a check is complete, no matter how long it takes, according to the gun safety nonprofit Everytown. In the Southeast, those states include Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. The bill Clyburn announced Tuesday is very similar to legislation that passed the U.S. House in 2019 and 2021, when Democrats controlled the chamber. Neither got a vote on the Senate floor. Legislation he introduced in 2023, after Republicans regained control of the House, never made it out of committee. At the news conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pleaded for Republicans to support the bill. 'The gun violence epidemic that has ravaged America for far too long in such horrific ways, in such deeply personal ways, in such searing ways, requires an aggressive, commonsense response,' said the New York Democrat, adding, 'We just need a handful of Republicans to join us.'
New York Times
01-06-2025
- General
- New York Times
A Soaring History of Mother Emanuel, the Church That Endured a Massacre
MOTHER EMANUEL: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church, by Kevin Sack 'Mother Emanuel' is a masterpiece in which Kevin Sack tells the story of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Charleston, S.C., 'the most historic Black church in the South's most historic city,' now best known as the site of an egregious act of barbarism: the killing of nine congregants on June 17, 2015, by a white supremacist. Sack, a former reporter for The New York Times, delivers a dense, rich, captivating narrative, featuring vivid prose, prodigious research and a palpable emotional engagement that is disciplined by a meticulous attention to the facts. His excavation is an essential addition to existing histories and ought to be recognized as a singular journalistic performance. The book begins with two gripping chapters that describe the setting in which the murders transpired. On Wednesday evenings, devout parishioners gathered at Emanuel for Bible study. On this occasion, the study session began late because another meeting had run over. If the Bible study had begun on time, it is likely that no one would have been present when the mass murderer arrived. As it turned out, 12 participants stuck around despite the delay, heat, fatigue and hunger. At 8:16 p.m. (thanks to surveillance cameras, the precise time is known), 21-year-old Dylann Roof walked into the church. Welcomed by the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Emanuel's dynamic 41-year-old pastor, he was given a Bible and a study guide. He sat silently for about 45 minutes before suddenly brandishing a semiautomatic handgun filled with hollow-point bullets with which he methodically shot nine of the worshipers. Among those murdered were 87-year-old Susie Jackson, who was penetrated by at least 10 rounds; Cynthia Hurd, a librarian who had planned to skip the session but stayed at the urging of a friend; Tywanza Sanders, who died next to his mother after asking the gunman, 'Man, why are you doing this?'; Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, a minister, speech pathologist and high school track coach; and Pinckney, who was also a state senator. Roof was apprehended the next day. He made no effort to hide what he had done, stated that his purpose was to initiate a white rebellion against what he saw as African American domination, and refused to permit his defense team to argue that mental instability had played any role in his actions. He was sentenced to death on federal hate crime charges and to nine life sentences on corresponding state charges. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Advocates to renew calls for closing ‘Charleston Loophouse' at State House rally
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) — Advocates will gather in Columbia on Thursday as part of an ongoing push to encourage lawmakers to pass stronger gun reform laws. State lawmakers will join members of Moms Demand Action and the South Carolina chapter of Students Demand Action for a noon rally on the steps of the State House. The groups are expected to renew their calls to close the so-called Charleston Loophole and push back against what they call 'misguided measures' related to firearms. The Charleston Loophole is a gap in the federal system that allows gun sales to proceed after three business days, even if the background check has not yet been completed. Dylann Roof, the Emanuel AME Church shooter, was able to purchase a gun even though his background check had not cleared. June will mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. SC Senate revisits bill to penalize smoking with kids in cars Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician and former Democratic nominee for South Carolina's First Congressional District, is among those scheduled to speak during Thursday's event. 'Gun violence is nonpartisan,' Andrews said in a March 11 press release. 'It is a public health crisis indiscriminately devastating families across our state and our country. As we all stand here once again in deeply red, deeply gerrymandered South Carolina, we are proving that we're not ready to give up on our state yet. We're not backing down. We want a safer future for our kids and our communities. Our lawmakers should too.' Governor Henry McMaster signed a permitless carry bill into law last year that allows anyone over 18 who can legally own a gun to carry the weapon openly and without a permit or training. South Carolina has the 12th-highest rate of gun deaths in the United States, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Groups call on South Carolina lawmakers to pass stronger gun reform laws
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Gun safety advocates gathered Tuesday morning at Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston to urge action on gun safety and encourage lawmakers to pass stronger gun reform laws. It comes as the Charleston community in June will recognize 10 years since a mass shooting at the historic church that claimed the lives of nine parishioners during a Bible study. Gun safety advocates from South Carolina Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action who attended Tuesday's event said they hope a line is drawn in the sand this year for change. Their focus is on better background check regulations in South Carolina and closing the so-called 'Charleston Loophole.' The Charleston Loophole is a gap in the federal system that allows gun sales to proceed after three business days, even if the background check has not yet been completed. Dylann Roof, the Emanuel AME Church shooter, was able to purchase a gun even though his background check had not cleared. Gun safety advocates said South Carolina can address the loophole by giving background check operators more time to determine if a buyer is prohibited. They said that by ensuring prospective gun owners pass a background check before obtaining a firearm, this law can help keep guns away from criminals, domestic abusers, and the seriously mentally ill, saving lives. 'Almost ten years since the worst day of my life, the soul of our state is still being tested. In an average year in South Carolina, more than 1,000 people die by guns. We need action that comes with a heart for the people,' said Reverend Sharon Risher, who lost her mother and her two cousins in the mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church. 'Unless our elected leaders support laws that will protect and keep our children safe and my two young grandsons from deadly hate, we will never heal. I have faith these laws can save lives, and that's why I will never stop speaking out.' Leaders with Everytown for Gun Safety said South Carolina has the 12th highest rate of gun deaths in the United States with few safeguards in place to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. They added that in an average year, 1,081 people are killed by guns in the state, The organization said gun violence costs South Carolina around $14 billion each year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
