Deeply divisive issue of firearms control back in the spotlight

The school shooting in Connecticut is likely to reignite the debate surrounding the purchase of firearms in the US.

In July, US President Barack Obama called for tougher background checks on Americans attempting to buy a gun in the wake of the Batman cinema shootings in Colorado.

Obama also called for restrictions to keep mentally unbalanced individuals from buying weapons. Those steps “shouldn’t be controversial, they should be common sense”, he said.