Uvalde, Texas | US President Joe Biden urged Americans to stand up to the politically powerful gun lobby, after an 18-year-old opened fire on a Texas school killing at least 19 children on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), in the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade.

In the latest gruesome moment for a country scarred by a string of such massacres, the gunman went from classroom to classroom, shooting elementary students and staff, until he was killed by law enforcement. The death toll also included two adults, authorities said, one of whom was a teacher.

AP