Toby Keith Speaks Out on Gun Control in Wake of Charleston Church Shootings

Toby Keith believes that stricter gun control laws are not the answer to gun violence in America.

The country superstar was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City on Thursday night (June 18), and on the red carpet before the ceremony, he was asked about the shootings that took place on Wednesday at a church in Charleston, S.C, that left nine people dead. The killings have started a new chapter in the ongoing debate about gun control, which continues to be one of the most polarizing social and political issues in America.

Keith says changing the gun laws wouldn't have made any difference. "If it can happen in church, it can happen anywhere, so there's no answer to it," he told reporters (quote via the Associated Press). "Countries all over the world that have really strict gun polices, like Oslo, Norway. It happens there."

The shootings took place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Police have arrested 21-year-old Dylann Storm Roof of Lexington, S.C., and he's been charged with nine counts of murder for the crime, which was reportedly racially motivated. Investigators say Roof attended the Bible study and stayed for nearly an hour before beginning his killing spree, which left six women and three men dead.

Keith said on Thursday that if a policeman had been present at the Bible study Wednesday evening, "maybe seven or eight of those nine people would still be alive."

The superstar performed at the Taste of Country Music Festival on June 14, and will headline at Country Jam in Colorado this Sunday (June 21).

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