President Donald Trump has said “hate has no place” in the US after 29 people were killed in two mass shootings over the weekend, amid accusations that he bears some responsibility.
An attack on a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, left 20 dead, while nine died in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio.
Mr. Trump has said “perhaps more has to be done” to stop such attacks.
Opposition Democrats said he was part of the problem, citing anti-immigrant rhetoric and opposition to gun control.
A 21-year-old white man arrested over Saturday’s shooting in Texas is believed to have posted an online document calling the attack a response to “the Hispanic invasion” of the state.
The motives of the Ohio gunman, who killed his sister and eight others on Sunday before being shot dead by police, are unclear.
Mr. Trump is set to give a national address about the shootings.
Before the statement, he tweeted to suggest both his Republican Party and Democrats should come together to pass new background check legislation, while suggesting it could be married with “desperately needed immigration reform”.
“We must have something good, if not GREAT, come out of these two tragic events!” he posted.
Texan prosecutors say the El Paso shooting is being treated as “a domestic terrorist case” and they are “seriously considering” hate crime charges.
The gunman opened fire on a crowded Walmart on Saturday with a semi-automatic rifle, and surrendered after being confronted by police officers outside the store.
The mass shooting, believed to be the eighth deadliest in modern US history, took place in a city where most of the population of 680,000 is of Hispanic descent.
In addition to the 20 fatalities, 26 people were injured.
Source: BBC News
