A counterterrorism analyst for CNN broke down in tears when discussing the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school in which 17 people were killed.

Phillip Mudd's voice wavered as he said: “Can not we acknowledge in this country that we cannot accept this?”

"I have 10 nieces and nephews. We’re talking about bump stocks, we’re talking about legislation. A child of God is dead," the former FBI analyst said.

The network then cut to another analyst while Mr Mudd collected himself as tears streamed down his face.

“Unfortunately it happens all too often,” anchor Wolf Blitzer added.

“People say we’ve got to learn some and, as a result people say we’ve got to learn some lessons. Unfortunately lessons are never, never learned," Mr Blitzer said.

Mr Mudd's mention of a "bump stock" was a reference to a device that essentially converts a semi-automatic weapon, like the one used in the Parkland shooting, to an automatic one.

A semi-automatic weapon can fire one bullet with every pull of the trigger, but an automatic weapon will fire successive bullets for as long as the trigger is held.

Florida shooting: FBI addresses comment promising an attack made by someone using shooter's name on social media made in September

Bump stocks are mostly outlawed in the US, but until October 2017 they were available at retailers like Walmart.

Earlier that month, 58 people were killed and nearly 500 injured in the country's deadliest mass shooting in modern history.

Stephen Paddock, using a bump stock, rained bullets down on a crowd gathered on the Las Vegas strip for a music festival.

The 17 victims included both adults and children. All the victims' families have been informed according to Broward County police and one has been identified publicly - assistant football coach Aaron Feis, who reportedly died while shielding students from bullets.

Florida shooting – in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Florida shooting – in pictures Florida shooting – in pictures Police arrest a suspect in connection with the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida Reuters Florida shooting – in pictures Parents wait for news after reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida AP Florida shooting – in pictures Anxious family members wait for news of students AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Florida shooting – in pictures Students being evacuated from the school AP Florida shooting – in pictures Students being evacuated from the school Getty Florida shooting – in pictures People gather waiting for word from students AP Florida shooting – in pictures Parents waiting for news on their children AP Florida shooting – in pictures People gather at a hotel where students were taken after the shooting Getty Florida shooting – in pictures Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks to the media as he visits Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the shooting AFP/Getty Florida shooting – in pictures Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, Medical Director Trauma, left, and Dr. Evan Boyer, Medical Director, Emergency Services, speak about treating victims and the suspect at a press conference outside Broward Health North hospital AP

Of those who died, 12 were inside the school, two people outside of the building, one on a street corner close to the school, and two died of their injuries in hospital.

The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, is in custody. He was a former student at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School but had been expelled due to bad behaviour.

The family he was staying with after his adopted mother died last year did not notice anything abnormal with the troubled and depressed young man the morning before the shooting, which took place around the time classes were being dismissed for the day.

Democratic members of Congress have been criticising Congressional Republicans for their inaction on gun control in the wake of so many mass shootings.

School shootings have taken place in California, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Washington state and New Mexico already this year, and just last month the first fatal school shooting of the year took place at Marshall County High School in Kentucky.

Senator Chris Murphy condemned the shooting on the Senate floor; "this happens nowhere else other than the United States of America — this epidemic of mass slaughter, this scourge of school shooting after school shooting,” he said.