US | Wed Jul 8, 2015 5:27pm EDT

Relatives of Charleston victims urge Congress to vote on gun law

WASHINGTON | BY SUSAN CORNWELL

Relatives and friends of the victims of last month's shooting in a Charleston, South Carolina church traveled to Washington on Wednesday to demand that U.S. lawmakers vote on legislation to expand background checks on gun sales.

But their chances of success are at best considered slim. Similar legislation failed a Senate vote two years ago after 20 children were shot to death in the Sandy Hook school massacre in Connecticut.

“I’m here today to speak up on behalf of the Charleston community and all who are sick and tired of Congress ignoring the problem of gun violence," said Andre Duncan, whose aunt Myra Thompson was slain in the Charleston church on June 17.

Duncan urged Congress to close loopholes in the so-called Brady law, which requires licensed firearms sellers to check whether a buyer is prohibited from owning a gun because of a criminal history.

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