US passes tighter gun law following Virginia shootings

THE US Congress, prodded by the deadliest shooting rampage in modern American history, has passed legislation to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.

Without objection, the Senate and the House of Representatives approved the measure, which would bolster background checks for gun buyers.

It will be the first significant US gun-control law since 1994. It was drafted after a gunman with a history of mental illness killed himself and 32 others in April last at Virginia Tech university.