The tragic shooting of Alison Parker and Adam Ward has brought the spotlight back on the United States' approach to gun control.

Parker (24) and Ward (27), of CBS affiliate WDBJ, died at the scene of the attack during a live interview broadcast from Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta.

The suspect, disgruntled former employee Vester Lee Flanagan, was later pronounced dead in hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Flanagan used the screen name Bryce Williams when working as a journalist.

There are calls for a renewed focus on tackling gun crime in the US.

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution allows citizens to bear arms, and has been criticised for a long time as a driver of gun violence in the country.

The latest figures in the US show there have been 247 mass shootings in the 238 days of 2015, according to the Mass Shooting Tracker.

Erich Pratt is director of communications with Gun Owners of America. He told Newstalk Breakfast guns actually protect people from harm.

"Good guys with guns in this country stop mass shootings from occurring and it happens all the time" he said.

"Just recently in the state of Ohio a guy was kicked out of a bar, he got angry, went home, grabbed a shot gun (and) came back to the bar firing".

"But thankfully in our country we allow citizens to carry firearms - nobody was killed because somebody who works there in that bar pulled out his concealed firearms (and) shot and killed the guy" he added.

Hear his full interview below: