Tougher gun laws could leave hundreds more dead in Texas shooting: Trump

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday rejected the need for a debate on tougher laws regarding possession of arms and said more restrictions might have left hundreds more dead in the Texas church shooting.

Trump - referring to a Sutherland Springs (Texas) resident who, with his own gun, confronted the attacker -- said if he didn't have the gun and had he not shot at the shooter, the number of victims could have been in the hundreds.

A total of 26 people were killed and some 20 wounded on Sunday during a service at a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs after a man opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.

"If he didn't have a gun, instead of having 26 dead, you would have had hundreds more dead, so that's the way I feel about it," the US President said here while replying to questions about gun control in the wake of the worst mass shooting in Texas history.

He said the city with the strongest gun laws was Chicago and that it was "a disaster", Efe news reported.

The US President, who is on a state visit to South Korea, held a joint press conference alongside his counterpart Moon Jae-in, where he again defended his stance over arms.

Trump had said a day earlier in Tokyo that the shooting occurred due to a mental health problem at the highest level and not because of arms.

The church suspect was identified as Devin Kelley, a 26-year-old former service member, who was expelled from the Air Force for misconduct and who committed suicide after being shot by a resident, Stephen Willeford.
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Texas mass shooting: 27 dead after firing at church, gunman identified

At least 27 people were killed and nearly two dozen wounded in a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday when an unidentified gunman opened fire, the local media reported.

Local police told Channel KSAT12 that the shooter was dead but did not specify the cause of death or the exact number of victims inside the First Baptist Church, Efe news reported.

The shooter was later identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, according to two law enforcement officers briefed on the situation, CNN reported.

Sutherland Springs is located 45 km southeast of San Antonio. A heavy police presence, including Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) personnel, was reported at the crime scene after the incident.

Although local police have not released figures on the number of dead, County Commissioner Wilson Albert Gamez Jr told MSNBC that 27 people were dead and at least 24 wounded, the report said.

The church was celebrating Mass at the time of the shootings.

"Our prayers are with all who were harmed by this evil act. Our thanks to law enforcement for their response. More details from DPS soon," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Twitter shortly after the incident.
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