As Orlando reels from the massacre of 49 people, Charleston, South Carolina, marked the first anniversary of its own massacre. On June 17, 2015, suspect Dylann Storm Roof opened fire at Emanuel AME Church during a Bible study, killing nine black worshipers. Roof embraced white supremacist views and was shown in photographs posing with the Confederate flag. State Senator Marlon Kimpson was among the officials at Friday’s memorial.
Sen. Marlon Kimpson: “Dylann Roof was not part of ISIS. He was a home-grown terrorist filled with hate right here in South Carolina. What sense does it make to have a background check law if the background check does not have to be complete before the gun is sold? What kind of sportsman needs an assault rifle to hunt deer? Why do we allow someone who is suspected of terrorism to purchase a gun, but not board a plane? If you can’t fly, you ought not be able to buy.”