Donald Trump is facing fresh demands for gun control in the wake of the Dayton and El Paso shootings as the New York Post published a full front-page appeal to 'Ban Weapons of War' today.
The paper's editorial board called for a ban on assault weapons after 29 people were killed in the two attacks in Ohio and Texas with guns that appeared to have been purchased legally.
'It does not have to be this way. It should not have to be this way. Mr. President, do something - help America live without fear,' the Post demanded.
'Come up with answers. Now. Beginning with the return of an assault-weapons ban.
'God save us all, sir. People all across the nation are scared; many feel like the country is spinning out of control. They're looking to their leaders for more than prayers.'
An assault weapons ban would 'make it a lot tougher for the next monster' to plan a mass shooting, the paper argues.
This weekend Trump made a vague promise to tackle the repeated mass shootings, saying: 'We have to get it stopped. This has been going on for years,' but did not discuss specific proposals.
Trump has ordered flags to be lowered in remembrance of both shootings, saying that he and First Lady Melania Trump were praying for the victims of an 'unspeakable act of evil'.
The deaths have re-ignited a grimly familiar debate about gun control, with several Democratic 2020 candidates calling for more restrictions on gun ownership.
Bernie Sanders said there were more assault weapons on the streets than in the hands of the U.S. military.
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'That is insane. We must ban the sale, distribution and transfer of assault weapons in the United States,' he declared.
Joe Biden spoke in similar terms, saying: 'Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines don't belong on our streets.
'We must stand up to the NRA and gun manufacturers - they don't own this country. We the people own this country.'
Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso, also called for a ban on military-style weapons, saying: 'Keep that s*** on the battlefield. Do not bring it into our communities.'
The debate has proved intractable in recent years as congressional Republicans and some Democrats resist repeated demands for gun control.
The NRA offered its 'deepest sympathies' to the families of the 29 people who died in El Paso and Dayton.
However, the gun lobby said it was 'committed to the safe and lawful use of firearms' and said it would 'not participate in the politicizing of these tragedies'.
Following the shootings, Trump said 'hate has no place in our country,' but he also blamed mental illness for the violence.
After last year's Parkland shooting, Trump signalled he was willing to take on the NRA and reform gun laws but he has yet to follow up those promises.
Later in 2018 he gave a rousing address to NRA members, saying: 'Your Second Amendment rights are under siege, but they will never, ever be under siege as long as I'm your President.'
An earlier assault weapons ban was passed in 1994 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
However, it expired in 2004 and was not renewed by Congress.
California Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat who led the push for the 1994 ban, has tried several times to reintroduce it since then.
Senators voted on the measure in 2013 shortly after the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, but it failed by 60 votes to 40.
Research has shown mixed results on whether the 1994 ban was effective in reducing violent crime.
A study in 2017 said the figures 'do not provide evidence that the ban was associated with a significant decrease in firearm homicides'.
Feinstein has introduced a similar bill in the current Congress but her party is in the minority in the Senate.
At least 29 people were killed in the two separate shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, over the weekend.
In El Paso, gunman Patrick Crusius opened fire on Saturday morning in a Walmart packed with thousands of people during the busy back-to-school season.
Authorities are working confirm whether a racist, anti-immigrant screed posted online shortly beforehand was written by the man arrested.
The document denounced a supposed 'Hispanic invasion' of Texas and praised the murder of 51 Muslims in the New Zealand terror attack in March.
Hours later in Dayton, Ohio, a gunman wearing body armor and carrying extra magazines opened fire in a popular nightlife area, killing nine and injuring at least 26 others.
Video released by police shows 24-year-old Connor Betts being shot down by officers, just steps away from entering a bar filled with hiding patrons.
Betts' 22-year-old sister, Megan Betts, was among those killed in Dayton.
The attacks came less than a week after a 19-year-old gunman killed three people and injured 13 others at the popular Gilroy Garlic Festival in California, before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
