The attack has reignited the debate over gun laws in the United States from texas.

Here's our correspondent, Naomi Campbell.

They came for the thoughts and prayers.

Families held each other tightly to try and make sense of the unimaginable.

They sang and prayed.

The mood was somber and their grief palpable.

We're just grieving this horrific tragedy.

So coming together to show the support for each other for the families.

This couple told us that eight year old grandson made it out of the school alive.

I went and checked on my grandson as soon as he saw me, he hugged me and he was so scared and I cried with them also.

So I told him it will be okay.

Let me check on your, on your classmates and your teacher.

I know that everybody's scared, but you all will be like, this is a community that's dealing with profound grief and people came here inside the arena in their hundreds, usually rodeo shows happened here, but tonight there was a prayer vigil and people say this is their way of healing The murder of 19 Children and their two teachers has left this country reeling.

Xavier Lopez was in his 4th year at primary school as was L.

Garcia and Amory Joe, just 10.

Their teacher Eva Morella's died jumping in front of her students.

They had all been barricaded in one classroom.

The man who Cruelly took their lives was this local teenager, 18 year old Salvador Ramos.

He sent out messages on social media saying he was going to attack an elementary school.

He was killed by police.

It's the worst school shooting in a decade.

The death of small Children has reignited the polarizing issue of gun control in America.

And whilst politicians unite in grief, they quickly divide on the politics.

When in God's name will we do what needs to be done to have not completely stopped fundamentally changed the amount of the carnage that goes on in this country to state the obvious and Corey and a lot of other people here.

I'm sick and tired.

I'm just sick and tired what's going on.

It continues to go on at a press conference.

Texas governor who is a republican has loosened gun laws here.

He was ambushed by his democratic opponent who accused him of doing nothing about gun violence.

Republicans here say this isn't about guns, they say strict gun control infringes on american people's constitutional right to bear arms.

It divides America deeply and even after a horrific shooting that divide deepens too much in the politics.

But I mean, something something needs to change.

You know, whether it's something needs to change because it's ridiculous.

You know, it's very ridiculous that we're putting Children's lives in danger and you know, it's just not right.

This is not about politics.

You know, we're americans.

The Second Amendment is a part of the Second Amendment is a part of our our liberties to even be here in America.

This is not about politics.

The gun control is not about politics.

Guns don't kill people.

People kill people.

President biden says he will visit the city in the coming days.

Will this be a turning point in America when it comes to tougher gun laws?

The grim expectation is either little or nothing will change numeric bowel, BBC news vivaldi in texas.

We're hearing more from the families of the victims.

Here is the father of Jacqueline cause ours who was tense speaking about his daughter's love of life, full of love and full of life as you would do anything for anybody.

And to me it's a firecracker rescues.

Yeah, it comforts me a little bit.

Do you think that should be the one to help her friends there?

And then When we were at the hospital about 2.5 hours.

It's sad and it's it's sad because there's other people that took longer, luckily my knees was able to to be there and see her come out of the hospital and then out of the ambulance.

And of course she's you notified us and we were at the school still my father.

You know, I just, I just booked it and I want to be there as soon as I could she was there.

You know, they couldn't confirm it was her.

But my needs software stands when they pulled her out.

She just a lot of people recently, she had a baptism, First Communion, you know, Covid a death of a family and a couple of months, about a year ago.

I mean, she brought us together and uh, there's something beautiful and he brought us together.

But tragedy that's just into Hazaras were more details are coming to light about the shooting.

For example, the gunman posted about his intentions on facebook.

Here's our North America correspondent, David Willis.

We now know this is the deadliest school shooting in this country in nearly a decade since the Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown Connecticut 19 killed and two adults as well as those school Children.

And as you say, we know as well That the gunman 18 year old Salvador Ramos posted a number of messages on online before he embarked on this murderous rampage.

He said that he was going to kill his grandmother.

He reported then that he'd done so and he said then that he was going to embark on a shooting rampage at an elementary school, which of course he did after taking a car crashing it and then entering the school through a back door.

Now the officials are saying that they're trying to pinpoint what actually happened during the early part of that incident when he was confronted by an official at the school gate.

They're trying to find out why there wasn't some sort of standoff at that point, but it appears that Salvador Ramos then ran into the building and started shooting with his rifle.

President Biden, of course, has been vociferous once again in calling for enhanced gun controls in this country.

It is not a matter on which rival republicans agree.

Republicans believe that the answer to shooting incidents of this kind lies in more police, tougher mental health checks and so on.

But both sides are accusing the other of politicizing this debate, and it's starting to look once again as though very little will be achieved in terms of legislation.