Past assassination attempts led to US gun reform. But not this time

Political violence has long shaped the gun control movement, but it appears little will change from this week

In the aftermath of the assassination of John F Kennedy in 1963, the calls for stricter gun regulation came quickly. Senator Thomas Dodd proposed new legislation five days after the president's death.

Almost two decades later, the 1981 shooting of Ronald Reagan prompted swift demands for action, including restrictions on handguns.