U.S. lawmakers, public figures outraged over inaction on gun control: media

LONDON, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Numerous American lawmakers and public figures spoke out on Tuesday by calling for action on gun control legislation in the wake of two mass shootings that happened in the United States in ten days, the Guardian reported.

An 18-year-old man opened fire on Tuesday in Texas, killing at least 19 students and two adults at Robb elementary school in Uvalde. Ten days ago, another mass shooting happened at the Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York, leaving 10 black people dead and three others injured.

After the shootings, several lawmakers and public figures openly conveyed their sense of frustration and outrage on inaction surrounding gun violence, the Guardian said in a report.

Noting the two recent mass shootings, NBA coach Steve Kerr gave an emotional pre-game press conference and singled out politicians for failing to act on gun control in order to hold on to power.

Former president Barack Obama said in a series of tweets that "nearly ten years after Sandy Hook -- and ten days after Buffalo -- our country is paralyzed, not by fear, but by a gun lobby and a political party that have shown no willingness to act in any way that might help prevent these tragedies."

Nearly a decade ago, a gunman opened fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut, leaving 26 people dead, including 20 children between six and seven years old.

Senator Chris Murphy pleaded with his colleagues in Congress to finally pass legislation addressing the nation's gun violence problem, hours after the Texas shooting happened.

"I'm here on this floor to beg, to literally get down on my hands and knees to beg my colleagues," he said, "Find a path forward here. Work with us to find a way to pass laws that make this less likely."

"Our elected leaders have been more interested in listening to the gun lobby than protecting our children -- and until that changes, we will continue to see devastating incident after devastating incident," said Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, former congresswoman of Florida.