WASHINGTON - The White House on Wednesday issued a rapid call for Congress to pass gun control laws, after two journalists were shot to death during a live television broadcast.

"This is another example of gun violence that is becoming all too common in communities large and small all across the United States," said spokesman Josh Earnest.

"There are some common sense things that only Congress can do that we know would have a tangible impact on reducing gun violence in this country," he said.

"Congress could take those steps in a way that would not infringe on the constitutional rights of law abiding Americans."

President Barack Obama has said that a failure to tighten gun legislation was the greatest source of frustration during his time in office.

He described the United States as the "one advanced nation on Earth in which we do not have sufficient common-sense, gun-safety laws."

But a significant number of Americans, backed by a large and well-funded gun lobby, resists any suggestion the government would impinge on the constitutional right the bear arms.