By John Gregory/Illinois Radio Network
CHICAGO – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) hopes in the wake of the shooting of nine people in a church in South Carolina, Congress starts taking gun control seriously.
The suspect in the case, Dylann Roof, supposedly made racist statements while firing on his targets at a predominantly African-American church. Law enforcement has said Roof admitted in his confession to police to wanting to ignite a “race war.”
Durbin said from what he’s heard, this crime may have been prevented if there were better laws aimed at keeping people with mental illness from owning guns.
“The facts that have come out in his case make it clear that this individual had many warning signs in his life that should have given us fair notice that he shouldn’t have owned a firearm or had access to one,” Durbin said.
Prosecutors won’t say what gun was used in the shooting, though one of Roof’s relatives has admitted buying him a .45-caliber handgun for his 21st birthday.
