A group of pro-gun US politicians have come out in support of changing firearm laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, where 20 children and six adults were slain by killer Adam Lanza.
After president Barack Obama told a memorial service on Sunday America could no longer "tolerate" gun tragedies, three US MPs, Harry Reid, Joe Manchin and Mark Warner, who previously supported gun rights, said it was time to discuss new laws.
A memorial to victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre
Democrat Senators Mark Warner and Joe Manchin both have 'A' ratings from America's powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), meaning they strongly support gun ownership.
Warner said the "status quo" was no longer "acceptable", saying it was time for "rational gun control."
He tweeted that the massacre at Sandy Hook had been a game changer.
Manchin, who once made an advert called 'taking aim' which showed him firing a gun at an environmental bill, said it was time to put everything "on the table."
US Senator Mark Warner called for 'rational gun control'
Meanwhile Senate leader and Nevada Democrat Harry Reid said "we need to accept the reality that we are not doing enough to protect our citizens."
The NRA has been quiet since the shootings on Friday, deleting its Facebook and not commenting on Twitter.
But in the aftermath of the tragedy gun sales have surged, according to independent arms dealers in America.
The massacre has reignited the debate over gun control.
In a blog for The Huffington Post UK, Channel 4's Jon Snow writes "after Newtown, assaulting gun control will now be seen as a key challenge" for Obama.
Brad Linzy, a member of the Republican party and Huffington Post blogger said he was "sickened" by the shootings but did not believe "lawful gun owners" nor the right to bare arms was to blame.
In a sign of how tense communities are in the wake of the killing, schools in a Connecticut town just miles away from the site where 20 children were killed on Friday were briefly put on lockdown on Monday after reports of a "suspicious person" who could be armed.
The suspected killer's family said on Sunday they were "grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy."
“Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones and to all those who were injured,” said father Peter Lanza.
"No words can truly express how heartbroken we are. We are in a state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can. We too are asking why."
Lanza shot his mother, Nancy, four times in the head at their home, then took her car and some of her guns to the school, where he embarked on his murderous rampage before committing suicide.
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