Another mass killing, another debate on US gun control

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The deaths of 20 children in a devastating shooting rampage at an elementary school in Connecticut on Friday once again reignited the debate over United States (US) gun laws that until now has yielded little change.

After the latest massacre, at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, President Barack Obama appeared on television with tears in his eyes to make an emotional plea for "meaningful action" in the wake of the latest outrage.

"As a country we have been through this too many times," Mr Obama said, mentioning earlier shooting massacres, in Colorado, Oregon and Wisconsin.

Earlier, though, White House spokesman Jay Carney declined to discuss the political fallout, telling reporters this was a day "to feel enormous sympathy for families that are affected."