MORNING HEADLINES | It’s been almost 10 years since the gun massacre that killed nine people in Charleston at Emanuel AME Church. Activists are demanding that state lawmakers do more.
S.C. Rep. Hamilton Grant, a Columbia Democrat whose wife’s grandfather, the Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., died in the church shooting in 2015, joined activists on the steps of the Statehouse Thursday to call for legislation to close the “Charleston loophole” that made the killings possible.
The “loophole” allowed an avowed white supremacist with a history of drug use to buy a pistol, despite an arrest that should have blocked the purchase. Two months later, Dylann Roof used that pistol to kill nine members of the church during a Bible study. He’s now on federal death row.
The roughly 50 activists who gathered on Thursday came from the S.C. chapter of Moms Demand Action and the Beaufort High School chapter of Students Demand Action.
“For 10 years, we’ve heard from past and present elected officials from this state on how much they are praying for us, how much they admire our strength and courage to forgive someone who wasn’t sorry,” Grant said. “And while I have no doubt that all those kind words and prayers were sincere, I am often conflicted when they are not backed with action.”
Advocates gathered earlier this year in January as well, demanding legislation on the Charleston loophole, as highlighted by the Charleston City Paper.
“There was one shooter — but he didn’t act alone,” Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, said in January. “He was empowered by a system – a system that turns a blind eye to white supremacy, a system that allows deadly weapons to fall into the wrong hands. The Charleston loophole is not just some legal technicality. It is a failure. And that failure cost nine lives.”
In addition to the loophole bill, activists are calling for funding of community violence intervention programs and laws to criminally charge gun owners who do not securely store firearms.
- VOTE NOW: The Best of Charleston 2025 reader contest is now open for final voting. Cast your choices for best people and businesses in more than 400 categories. Click here to vote.
In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper:
CP OPINION: Our view: Time for sunshine to disinfect secrecy in Cogswell administration. Here’s a fun fact for Sunshine Week, the time each year in March when newspapers across the country shine bright lights on the importance of government transparency and public records: We’ve got a secrecy problem in Charleston.
- CP CARTOONS: Stegelin: The flags are changing
- CP CARTOONS: Ariail: Right whale moms
- CP OPINION: Reale: Join a CSA to help save the Lowcountry
CP NEWS: The Foilie Awards: 10 years of governments avoiding transparency. A lot has changed over the last decade, but one thing that hasn’t is the steady flow of attempts by authorities to avoid their legal and ethical obligations to be open and accountable. Sometimes, these cases are intentional, but just as often, they are due to incompetence or straight-up half-assedness. Here’s a national look at governments avoiding transparency.
CP FOOD: Celebrate Pi Day in Charleston with these pies. Whether you’re searching for a classic, sweet Lowcountry treat, such as pecan pie or a savory tomato version (another Lowcountry staple), this roundup of area pies is all you need to stay stuffed.
CP MUSIC: Country legend Allan stages second act in Charleston. In an age where behemoths like Shania Twain, Garth Brooks and Reba ruled the country music landscape, singer/songwriter Gary Allan quietly amassed an enviable catalog of hits.
In other recent headlines:
Charleston seeks increased preservation efforts for disappearing Freedman’s cottages. The “irretrievable” loss of a Freedman’s Cottage last year brought renewed attention among preservationists to the modest dwellings that are not only unique to Charleston and its dwindling Black communities.
SCDOT encourages drivers to submit problem areas for ‘pothole blitz.’ The South Carolina Department of Transportation is holding a “Pothole Blitz,” which will see crews out tackling potholes across the state for the next several weeks.
Summerville police to enforce DUI patrols for St. Patrick’s Day. The Summerville Police Department will conduct DUI patrols and checkpoints on Friday as St. Patrick’s Day festivities begin.
Cross-country storm poised to deliver extreme weather across U.S. A cross-country storm will explode in strength as it moves over the central United States Friday, delivering extreme weather to millions through the weekend, including the chance of multiple strong tornadoes.
10 more books recommended for removal from S.C. K-12 libraries. Ten more books are slated for removal from South Carolina’s K-12 public school libraries, despite protests from the books’ authors and school librarians.
Trump administration cancels Covid-era food aid programs, a $15.2M hit to S.C. growers. Several federal programs that for two years helped scale up production of small farmers in South Carolina by guaranteeing them buyers for school districts and food banks have been terminated.
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