Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) talks to reporters after attending the weekly Senate Republicans policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol January 7, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Jun 17, 2020
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is under fire Wednesday--the five-year anniversary of the Charleston, South Carolina church massacre--for his refusal to act on legislation, sitting on his desk for over a year, that would close the loophole that allowed a white supremacist to obtain the gun used to shoot nine black congregants at the historical place of worship.
Due to a clerical error, the gunman's background check to buy the weapon took longer than three days, which meant the seller was able to sell him the gun. Had a background check been completed, the gunman's criminal record would have shown he was unable to purchase the weapon. Legislation to close the so-called "Charleston Loophole," extending the wait time to 10 days, passed the Democrat-controlled House in February 2019.
But, as the Charleston Post and Couriernoted Tuesday, the measure "has languished in the Republican-controlled Senate."
"It's been 5 years since the shooting at Emanuel AME Church and well over a year since the House passed my bill to help close the #CharlestonLoophole that allowed the gunman to obtain his weapon," tweeted House Majority Whip James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina.
"The Senate must act so we can prevent tragedies like this from happening again," Clyburn said.
\u201cIt\u2019s been 5 years since the shooting at Emanuel AME Church and well over a year since the House passed my bill to help close the #CharlestonLoophole that allowed the gunman to obtain his weapon.\n\nThe Senate must act so we can prevent tragedies like this from happening again.\u201d— James E. Clyburn (@James E. Clyburn) 1592405700
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said the fact that the bill has "been sitting on Mitch McConnell's desk for over a year" is "unconscionable."
\u201cToday marks 5 years since the Emanuel AME shooting in Charleston. @HouseDemocrats passed a BIPARTISAN bill to end the #CharlestonLoophole & it\u2018s been sitting on Mitch McConnell\u2019s desk for over a year.\n\nThat's unconscionable. #Charleston9 #EnoughIsEnough\u201d— Rep. Barbara Lee (@Rep. Barbara Lee) 1592421480
Rev. Sharon Risher, whose mother, two cousins, and a friend were killed at the Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, wrote Tuesday about the need to pass the legislation, saying that "their lives, and their deaths, are not so different from those of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others killed by systemic racism and hate in our country. Nor are they that different from the tens of thousands of Black people in America who have been killed by COVID-19, a disease that kills us at disproportionate rates because of that same systemic racism."
She continued:
This is the time to address these problems--by protesting, by voting, by addressing loopholes like the one that killed my mom and cousins five years ago and by dismantling the systems of oppression that African American communities face every day. But like so many of these problems that kill Black people in America, the Charleston loophole has gone unaddressed--even as the other victims' families and I have continually called out for action.
Many, including Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, took to social media on Wednesday to lift up the lives of the #Charleston9--those who perished in the racist shooting.
\u201cThis is Cynthia Hurd.\n\nBorn and raised in Charleston, she worked at the local library for 31 years, tirelessly advocating education for those in her community. Her brother said she was "the glue that kept the family together." #Charleston9 (2/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor.\n\nShe sang in the church choir, with a voice so powerful it "could move the very depth of your heart." Her four daughters have promised to keep her spirit alive by contributing to the community their mother loved. #Charleston9 (4/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Rev. Clementa Pinckney.\n\nHe was a married father of 2 and a state senator in SC. After the police shooting of #WalterScott, he pushed a bill requiring cops to wear body cams. A fellow Senator said he was a moral leader. When he spoke, people listened. #Charleston9 (6/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Sharonda Coleman-Singleton.\n\nShe spent her life working with kids who needed her, and "she never let them down." She preached love, a legacy her son embraces when he asks people to "hug somebody that doesn\u2019t look like you," just like his mom did. #Charleston9 (8/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Tywanza Sanders.\n\nHe aspired to run a barber shop, where he'd greet friends with his notorious "big ole' smile." As the shooting occurred, he pleaded with the killer to stop. His mother then watched from afar as the gun was emptied into his body. #Charleston9 (10/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is under fire Wednesday--the five-year anniversary of the Charleston, South Carolina church massacre--for his refusal to act on legislation, sitting on his desk for over a year, that would close the loophole that allowed a white supremacist to obtain the gun used to shoot nine black congregants at the historical place of worship.
Due to a clerical error, the gunman's background check to buy the weapon took longer than three days, which meant the seller was able to sell him the gun. Had a background check been completed, the gunman's criminal record would have shown he was unable to purchase the weapon. Legislation to close the so-called "Charleston Loophole," extending the wait time to 10 days, passed the Democrat-controlled House in February 2019.
But, as the Charleston Post and Couriernoted Tuesday, the measure "has languished in the Republican-controlled Senate."
"It's been 5 years since the shooting at Emanuel AME Church and well over a year since the House passed my bill to help close the #CharlestonLoophole that allowed the gunman to obtain his weapon," tweeted House Majority Whip James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina.
"The Senate must act so we can prevent tragedies like this from happening again," Clyburn said.
\u201cIt\u2019s been 5 years since the shooting at Emanuel AME Church and well over a year since the House passed my bill to help close the #CharlestonLoophole that allowed the gunman to obtain his weapon.\n\nThe Senate must act so we can prevent tragedies like this from happening again.\u201d— James E. Clyburn (@James E. Clyburn) 1592405700
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said the fact that the bill has "been sitting on Mitch McConnell's desk for over a year" is "unconscionable."
\u201cToday marks 5 years since the Emanuel AME shooting in Charleston. @HouseDemocrats passed a BIPARTISAN bill to end the #CharlestonLoophole & it\u2018s been sitting on Mitch McConnell\u2019s desk for over a year.\n\nThat's unconscionable. #Charleston9 #EnoughIsEnough\u201d— Rep. Barbara Lee (@Rep. Barbara Lee) 1592421480
Rev. Sharon Risher, whose mother, two cousins, and a friend were killed at the Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, wrote Tuesday about the need to pass the legislation, saying that "their lives, and their deaths, are not so different from those of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others killed by systemic racism and hate in our country. Nor are they that different from the tens of thousands of Black people in America who have been killed by COVID-19, a disease that kills us at disproportionate rates because of that same systemic racism."
She continued:
This is the time to address these problems--by protesting, by voting, by addressing loopholes like the one that killed my mom and cousins five years ago and by dismantling the systems of oppression that African American communities face every day. But like so many of these problems that kill Black people in America, the Charleston loophole has gone unaddressed--even as the other victims' families and I have continually called out for action.
Many, including Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, took to social media on Wednesday to lift up the lives of the #Charleston9--those who perished in the racist shooting.
\u201cThis is Cynthia Hurd.\n\nBorn and raised in Charleston, she worked at the local library for 31 years, tirelessly advocating education for those in her community. Her brother said she was "the glue that kept the family together." #Charleston9 (2/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor.\n\nShe sang in the church choir, with a voice so powerful it "could move the very depth of your heart." Her four daughters have promised to keep her spirit alive by contributing to the community their mother loved. #Charleston9 (4/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Rev. Clementa Pinckney.\n\nHe was a married father of 2 and a state senator in SC. After the police shooting of #WalterScott, he pushed a bill requiring cops to wear body cams. A fellow Senator said he was a moral leader. When he spoke, people listened. #Charleston9 (6/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Sharonda Coleman-Singleton.\n\nShe spent her life working with kids who needed her, and "she never let them down." She preached love, a legacy her son embraces when he asks people to "hug somebody that doesn\u2019t look like you," just like his mom did. #Charleston9 (8/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Tywanza Sanders.\n\nHe aspired to run a barber shop, where he'd greet friends with his notorious "big ole' smile." As the shooting occurred, he pleaded with the killer to stop. His mother then watched from afar as the gun was emptied into his body. #Charleston9 (10/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is under fire Wednesday--the five-year anniversary of the Charleston, South Carolina church massacre--for his refusal to act on legislation, sitting on his desk for over a year, that would close the loophole that allowed a white supremacist to obtain the gun used to shoot nine black congregants at the historical place of worship.
Due to a clerical error, the gunman's background check to buy the weapon took longer than three days, which meant the seller was able to sell him the gun. Had a background check been completed, the gunman's criminal record would have shown he was unable to purchase the weapon. Legislation to close the so-called "Charleston Loophole," extending the wait time to 10 days, passed the Democrat-controlled House in February 2019.
But, as the Charleston Post and Couriernoted Tuesday, the measure "has languished in the Republican-controlled Senate."
"It's been 5 years since the shooting at Emanuel AME Church and well over a year since the House passed my bill to help close the #CharlestonLoophole that allowed the gunman to obtain his weapon," tweeted House Majority Whip James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina.
"The Senate must act so we can prevent tragedies like this from happening again," Clyburn said.
\u201cIt\u2019s been 5 years since the shooting at Emanuel AME Church and well over a year since the House passed my bill to help close the #CharlestonLoophole that allowed the gunman to obtain his weapon.\n\nThe Senate must act so we can prevent tragedies like this from happening again.\u201d— James E. Clyburn (@James E. Clyburn) 1592405700
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said the fact that the bill has "been sitting on Mitch McConnell's desk for over a year" is "unconscionable."
\u201cToday marks 5 years since the Emanuel AME shooting in Charleston. @HouseDemocrats passed a BIPARTISAN bill to end the #CharlestonLoophole & it\u2018s been sitting on Mitch McConnell\u2019s desk for over a year.\n\nThat's unconscionable. #Charleston9 #EnoughIsEnough\u201d— Rep. Barbara Lee (@Rep. Barbara Lee) 1592421480
Rev. Sharon Risher, whose mother, two cousins, and a friend were killed at the Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, wrote Tuesday about the need to pass the legislation, saying that "their lives, and their deaths, are not so different from those of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others killed by systemic racism and hate in our country. Nor are they that different from the tens of thousands of Black people in America who have been killed by COVID-19, a disease that kills us at disproportionate rates because of that same systemic racism."
She continued:
This is the time to address these problems--by protesting, by voting, by addressing loopholes like the one that killed my mom and cousins five years ago and by dismantling the systems of oppression that African American communities face every day. But like so many of these problems that kill Black people in America, the Charleston loophole has gone unaddressed--even as the other victims' families and I have continually called out for action.
Many, including Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, took to social media on Wednesday to lift up the lives of the #Charleston9--those who perished in the racist shooting.
\u201cThis is Cynthia Hurd.\n\nBorn and raised in Charleston, she worked at the local library for 31 years, tirelessly advocating education for those in her community. Her brother said she was "the glue that kept the family together." #Charleston9 (2/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor.\n\nShe sang in the church choir, with a voice so powerful it "could move the very depth of your heart." Her four daughters have promised to keep her spirit alive by contributing to the community their mother loved. #Charleston9 (4/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Rev. Clementa Pinckney.\n\nHe was a married father of 2 and a state senator in SC. After the police shooting of #WalterScott, he pushed a bill requiring cops to wear body cams. A fellow Senator said he was a moral leader. When he spoke, people listened. #Charleston9 (6/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Sharonda Coleman-Singleton.\n\nShe spent her life working with kids who needed her, and "she never let them down." She preached love, a legacy her son embraces when he asks people to "hug somebody that doesn\u2019t look like you," just like his mom did. #Charleston9 (8/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
\u201cThis is Tywanza Sanders.\n\nHe aspired to run a barber shop, where he'd greet friends with his notorious "big ole' smile." As the shooting occurred, he pleaded with the killer to stop. His mother then watched from afar as the gun was emptied into his body. #Charleston9 (10/10)\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1592401740
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