Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. (D) said Sunday that the access to and the numbers of guns in America is “insane.”
“It is insane: the number of guns, and the ease of guns in America. It just doesn’t fit with the other achievements of this country – It’s a small–really small group, well-funded — that keeps this issue from being appropriately addressed,” Riley told CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union.
The South Carolina mayor’s comments come in the wake of the shooting that took place last Wednesday in Charleston when Dylan Roof, 21, shot and killed nine people during a bible study at Emmanuel AME Church.
The Huffington Post reported that Roof allegedly bought the gun he used with money from his birthday back in April, although there were mixed reports in the wake of the shooting about whether he was given the gun or if he purchased it himself.
In the days following the shooting in Charleston, two main points have been argued and brought up surrounding the horrific incident: racism, mostly as it pertains to the ongoing fight over the fate of the Confederate flag, and guns.
Many have been quick to bring up the gun control issue, including President Obama who was criticized by many for politicizing the tragedy. Hillary Clinton also used the tragedy to inform people of her stance on the gun debate.
Watch Tapper and Riley’s full conversation below:
