Tens of thousands of protesters have rallied across the US to call for stricter gun laws in the wake of two mass shootings.

Those taking part at the hundreds of marches carried slogans like “I want freedom from getting shot”.

US President Joe Biden backed the protests, calling on Congress to “pass common sense gun safety legislation”.

Despite this the chances of legal change are likely to be quashed by Republicans.

Nineteen children and two adults were killed in the 24 May shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

That attack, and another days earlier in Buffalo, New York, in which 10 people were killed, has led to renewed calls for action on gun control in the US.

On Saturday, gun safety group March For Our Lives – founded by survivors of the 2018 Parkland school shooting in Florida – said some 450 rallies would be held across the country, including Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The group said it would not let politicians “sit back” as people continue to die.