President Donald Trump has argued new gun laws would not have halted America’s latest mass shooting, saying such measures are “not going to help”.

Devin Kelley strode into a small church in Texas this weekend and mowed down dozens of parishioners.

The President argued that tougher vetting would have led to more bloodshed, echoing a common argument by gun-rights supporters that arming citizens can halt mass shootings. A bystander opened fire on Kelley after he exited the church where he conducted his massacre.

After first saying even with more restrictions “there would have been no difference three days ago”, Mr Trump added that “you might not have had that very brave person who happened to have a gun or a rifle in his truck go out and shoot him, and hit him and neutralize him”.

“If he didn’t have a gun, instead of having 26 dead, you would have had hundreds more dead”, Mr Trump told reporters in Seoul. So that's the way I feel about it. Not going to help”.

Texas church shooting Show all 9 1 /9 Texas church shooting Texas church shooting The site of the mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas Reuters Texas church shooting First responders are at the scene of shooting at the First Baptist Church Reuters Texas church shooting Enrique and Gabby Garcia watch investigators at the scene of the mass shooting AP Texas church shooting Law enforcement officials investigate the scene at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas Reuters Texas church shooting Carrie Matula embraces a woman after a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs Associated Press Texas church shooting Law enforcement officials gather near the First Baptist Church Getty Images Texas church shooting Community members come together for a candlelight vigil for the victims of the deadly church shooting in Sutherland Springs Laura Skelding/AP Texas church shooting Mourners participate in the candlelight vigil held for the victims Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP Texas church shooting A vehicle is hauled onto a flatbed truck where the suspect in a deadly church shooting was found dead in Guadalupe County William Luther/Austin American-Statesman via AP

The latest bloodletting has prompted calls for tighter restrictions on buying guns - a goal complicated by the fact that Kelley was legally barred from buying guns but was able to do so because the Air Force did not report his name to a database that would have prevented purchases.

Asked by interviewer Laura Ingraham “what should be done so this never happens again”, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said it was “frustrating” that the alleged shooter “wasn’t supposed to get a gun in the first place”.

Texas gunman's neighbours and colleagues speak after massacre