Getty Donald Trump has said fewer deaths would have occurred if people had their own guns

FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The American Republican presidential candidate has used the Paris massacre to argue the case for having guns. Speaking at a rally in Iowa, he said: “So the bad guys can have guns but the good guys can't. So these thugs walked into various places and just started shooting people. And there were no guns on the other side. “The bullets were going one way, not the other way. And if they were, if somebody had protection, a few people, not all, a few people had protection we would not have had 130 people dead.”

Getty Donald Trump outside his 'Trump' rally aeroplane

The bullets were going one way, not the other way. And if they were, if somebody had protection, a few people, not all, a few people had protection we would not have had 130 people dead Donald Trump

Mr Trump previously said that the Paris massacre attacks revealed the danger in allowing Syrian refugees into the country. In November, the politician tweeted: “You can say what you want, but if they had guns -- if our people had guns, if they were allowed to carry -- it would have been a much, much different situation." In January, during a speech in Vermont, Mr Trump spoke about the benefits of law-abiding citizens carrying a gun. He said he vowed to "unsign" President Barack Obama's plans to tighten gun control.

Getty The aftermath of the Paris massacre

A series of co-ordinated terrorists attacks by Islamic State (ISIS) jihaids in Paris left 130 people dead on November 13 2015. Three suicide bombers struck near the Stade de France, followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafes, restaurants and a music venue in the French capital. The attackers killed 130 people in total, including 90 at the Bataclan theatre, where they took hostages.

Getty The attacks also took place in the Bataclan concert hall