Stephen King denounces 'proudly closed minds' who are against gun control in the wake of Charleston shooting

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Stephen King has argued that people who oppose gun control laws have "closed minds".

The author of The Shining posted a series of tweets in the wake of the Charleston shooting. Dylann Roof is suspected to have killed nine people in an African-American church in South Carolina.

Friends of Roof, 21, said that he told them he wanted to "start a war" and the attack is believed to be racially motivated.

King is known for writing bestselling novels such as Carrie and Salem's Lot, but in 2013 he published an essay, Guns, which addressed the issue of gun control in the US.

King - who is a gun owner himself - argued in Guns that he owned three weapons "with a clear conscience". He said at the time of publication: "I think the issue of an America awash in guns is one every citizen has to think about. If this helps provoke constructive debate, I've done my job."

He took to Twitter to argue that gun owners had an obligation to promote more stringent rules on firearm ownership.

Current US legislation on firearms states that anyone over the age of 18 is allowed to buy a rifle or shotgun from a licensed dealer. Citizens have to be 21 or over before they can buy a handgun.

Background checks are run on people looking to buy guns, and rules on who can have a firearm varies from state to state.