Donald Trump claims gun restrictions would have made Texas massacre 'worse'

US President Donald Trump claims the Texas church massacre would have been much worse if there was tighter gun control.

During his trip to South Korea, Trump denounced a call for stricter gun control after Devin Kelley killed 26 people during a church service in Sutherland Springs on Sunday.

He said: "If you did what you're suggesting, there would have been no difference three days ago and you might not have had that very brave person who happens to have a gun or a rifle in his trunk."

Referring to 'good Samaritan' Stephen Willeford who exchanged fire with Kelley, Trump continued: "Instead of having 26 dead, you would have had hundreds more dead."

When the story broke on Sunday, Trump insisted the tragedy wasn't a gun crime story, but turned the focus to the shooter's state of mind.

He said: "We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, as do other countries. But this isn't a guns situation. Fortunately somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction.

"This is a mental health problem at the highest level."