In the aftermath of the mass shooting at a historically black church in downtown Charleston, the city's mayor, Joseph Riley (D), is calling for gun control advocates to "push on" for increased regulation of firearms.

Saying "there are far too many guns out there," Riley said that the "easy ability for people to gain possession of [guns] no doubt contributes to violent acts." Citing the failure to clamp down on guns after Sandy Hook, Riley called for gun control advocates to "push on" for increased regulation.

Riley has been the mayor of Charleston since 1975. He is a member of Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, which is committed to "getting illegal guns off the streets." One of Riley's more notable recent actions was the organizing of a protest rally in 2000 calling for the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse. In 2009, he was presented the National Medal of Arts award from President Obama.

The shooter, a white male, is still at large. The attack resulted in the death of nine--six females and three males--and has been deemed a hate crime.

The cousin of the church's pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, told WAFF-TV that the gunman asked for Rev. Pinckney prior to the Wednesday night Bible study and sat next to him before opening fire on congregants. Pinckney's cousin said survivors told her that the gunman said, "You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go."

"This person is dangerous,” said Riley. "We need every tip we can get to bring this person into custody as soon as possible, and of course will make sure that he pays the price for this horrible act."

UPDATE: The FBI has confirmed the identity of the shooting suspect: Dylann Roof, 21, a Columbia area resident: