Donald Trump has signed an order to ban bump stocks, which were used in the Las Vegas massacre last year.

The US president asked the Justice Department to outlaw the controversial gun modifiers, along with other devices that enable semi-automatic weapons to fire close to the rate of a machine gun.

Mr Trump made the announcement to curb the use of the rapid-fire devices during a ceremony recognising bravery by the country’s public safety officers.

Mr Trump was responding days after 17 people were shot dead at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

But his statement doesn’t go far enough for many, including students who survived the Parkland shooting, who have called for a ban on assault rifles like the one used to kill their classmates.

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Mr Trump pointed to the need for regulations to ban the bump stock device that was used to shoot 58 people in Las Vegas last October.

White House officials said the president will meet students, teachers and state and local officials to discuss ways of providing more school safety and address gun violence.

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Past efforts to address gun violence in Congress have failed.

Mr Trump said: “We must move past cliches and tired debates and focus on evidence-based solutions and security measures that actually work.”

Bump stocks were attached to six of the long guns found in the Las Vegas shooter’s hotel room.

View photos The bump stocks were used in last October’s massacre in Las Vegas, which left 58 dead (Picture: Rex) More

A legislative effort to ban the device fizzled out last year.

Mr Trump has also indicated he is open to a limited strengthening of federal background checks on gun purchases.

Over the weekend, the White House said he had spoken to Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, about a bipartisan bill designed to strengthen the FBI database of prohibited gun buyers.

View photos A gunman killed 17 people at a school in Florida last week (Picture: Rex) More

The president’s spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders qualified the support, stressing that talks continue and “revisions are being considered”.

But she said “the president is supportive of efforts to improve the federal background check system”.

The main action Mr Trump has taken on guns has been to sign a resolution blocking an Obama-era rule designed to keep guns out of the hands of certain mentally disabled people.

The president has voiced strong support for gun rights and the National Rifle Association.

The bipartisan background check legislation would be aimed at ensuring that federal agencies and states accurately report relevant criminal information to the FBI.

It was introduced after the US air force failed to report the criminal history of a gunman who slaughtered more than two dozen people at a Texas church.

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