The US President Joe Biden has asked "why are we willing to live with this carnage?" after a gunman shot dead at least 19 children and two teachers at a primary school in Texas.
It's believed his first victim was his own grandmother - before he drove to the school, armed with a handgun and an assault rifle.
The 18 year old, identified as Salvador Ramos was shot dead by police.
The city of Uvalde is now the scene of the deadliest primary school shooting since the one at Sandy Hook a decade ago.
President Joe Biden says its time to stand up to the powerful gun lobby:
"These kind of mass shootings rarely happen anywhere else in the world. Why? They have mental health problems, they have domestic disputes in other countries. They have people who are lost. But these kind of mass shootings never happen with the kind of frequency that they happen in America. Why? Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Where in God's name is our backbone to have the courage to deal with this and stand up to the lobbies."
US media reported on Tuesday that the suspected gunman had been bullied in high school and that a deterioration in his behaviour had been observed recently.
It's reported he bought two assault weapons after he turned 18 earlier this month.
Reacting to the tragedy, Texas governor Greg Abbot said the gunman had “shot and killed horrifically, incomprehensibly,” the students and teachers.
