girl in her prom dress, in the ruins of her school in kharkiv. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it s newsday. welcome to the programme. it s 7am in singapore, midnight in london, and 7pm in washington where lawmakers have been hearing searing testimony from the victims and families of those caught up in several recent mass shootings. among them was an 11 year old girl, mia cerrillo. a student at the robb elementary school in texas, she described how she smeared herself in blood and played dead to avoid being killed along with 19 other children and two teachers. the shooting, carried out by an 18 year old gunman, has provoked a nation wide debate about the sale of firearms. our north america editor sarah smith has more from washington we should warn you, her report contains some graphic testimony which some may find distressing. this is the last photograph of lexi rubio, getting a school prize just hours before she was shot dead, the last time her paren
There are a few reasons why mass shootings are so common in the US: A general increase in all types of gun violence; the proliferation of firearms amid lax gun laws; the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and a political climate unable or unwilling to change
been pulverised by bullets fired at them, decapitated, whose flesh had been ripped apart, that the only clue of their identities was their blood splattered cartoon clothes still clinging to them. clinging for life and finding none. the tragedy in uvalde has provoked a nationwide conversation about gun control. there are cross party talks going on about new laws, but any legislation they can agree on will fall far short of what is being demanded. there will not be a ban on assault weapons. they can t even agree on raising the legal minimum age to buy one from 18 to 21. president biden is powerless to do anything about gun control without the support of at least some republicans. so, despite an epidemic of mass shootings across america, nearly 250 already this year, any significant reform remains highly unlikely. sarah smith, bbc news, washington. dr shannon frattaroli is a professor at the johns hopkins centre for gun violence solutions. she says the testimony