Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Another school shooting, and another call from US President Joe Biden for Congress to pass federal legislation banning military-style assault weapons.

Back when he was in the US Senate, Biden was one of the driving forces behind a 1994 law that imposed limits on certain semi-automatic long-barrel rifles and their high-capacity detachable magazines.

On the campaign trail in 2020, Biden frequently cited that legislation, which expired in 2004, as evidence that Congress can reach bipartisan consensus on gun-control measures.

Efforts to reimpose the ban, most recently pushed by Biden in March 2021 after several high-profile mass shootings, have proven fruitless, however.

Congress did reach a bipartisan agreement to enact new background checks for young gun purchasers and encourage red-flag laws to prevent high-risk individuals from owning firearms in June 2022, following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

That law, however, was limited in scope. It represented the lowest-hanging fruit of new gun legislation, even as it marked the first new federal gun-safety legislation in 30 years.

Now, with Republican control of the House of Representatives, chances of new gun-control legislation are further diminished.

Meanwhile, federal courts – including the US Supreme Court – have been issuing a steady stream of decisions that ground broad gun rights in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

The spate of school shootings in America continues, with Nashville added to the list of communities devastated by violence. But it is unlikely any new laws will come as a result.

There have been more than 120 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to figures from the Gun Violence Archive, external, a non-profit research database.

While the US does not have a uniform definition for "mass shootings", the Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed. Their figure includes shootings that happen both in homes and in public places.

According to their research, the number of such shootings has increased in recent years.

In each of the last three years there have been more than 600 mass shootings, almost two a day on average.

Children in uniforms can be seen running from their school as terrified parents raced to scene in the dramatic moments after the shooting.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, this is what we know so far about today's school shooting in Nashville:

• Six people - three children and three staff members - were killed at a private primary school in Nashville, in the state of Tennessee
• The shooting took place at The Covenant School - a private Christian school with some 200 students from preschool age to the sixth grade, around 11 or 12 years old

• Police say the suspect was a 28-year-old woman from the Nashville area, possibly a former student of the school
• Police first received reports of an active shooter at 10:13 local time (15:13 GMT), and engaged with the shooter in a "lobby-like area" on the second floor of the school
• The shooter was dead by 10:27 local time (15:27 GMT), police said
• Police have not yet released the ages or names of the victims

• Biden addressed the shooting, saying gun violence is "ripping the soul of the nation"
• The president renewed calls on Congress to take action on gun control

Rep Bob Freeman, a Democratic lawmaker representing the district that includes The Covenant School, said he was heartbroken by the shooting.

He said in a statement that he lives around the corner from the school, and told CNN there was a "high chance" that his own children knew those who were injured or killed in the incident.

He urged lawmakers to pass gun reform laws.

"You drop your kids off at school. You expect to pick them up at the end of the day," he said. "That's a pretty low bar to expect from the school system, and we've got to do better."

"If we are not as elected officials creating an environment to better and protect our children, what are we doing? This should be the most bipartisan issue," he added.

Outside of The Covenant School in Nashville, people reacted to the tragedy.

One woman, who said she and her son had survived the mass shooting at the 4 July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, last year called on lawmakers to ban assault weapons so that no one has to experience this trauma again.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

During the most recent news update, officials also shared that the families of the three youngest victims have been notified of their deaths.

Police Chief John Drake declined to publicly identify the victims.

City and state officials expressed horror at the incident and argued these types of events occur too often.

"This is the ultimate crime when school children and caregivers are victims of senseless gun violence," Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk said.

Police said they will share another update at around 16:00 local time (21:00GMT).

We just heard a brief update from Nashville authorities.

The 28-year-old female who is accused of carrying out the shooting at The Covenant School may have been a student at the school, based on "initial findings", Police Chief John Drake just said.

He identified the suspect as a 28-year-old white woman from the Nashville area.

He added it was unclear how she gained access to the school.

President Biden has just addressed the Nashville shooting.

"It's sick," Biden said of the tragedy. He calls it a "family's worst nightmare".

"We have to do more to stop gun violence," Biden says. "It is ripping our communities apart, and ripping the very soul of this nation."

He calls for more action on gun violence.

"I call on Congress again to pass my assault weapons ban," Biden says. "It is about time".

The Nashville Police Department says it plans to share new details about today's shooting at The Covenant School in five minutes. We'll update you as we learn more.

We're also still waiting to hear remarks from President Biden on the incident.

Today's shooting in Nashville proved unusual as it took place at a private school.

Such incidents in the US have historically been more likely to occur at public institutions.

From 2000 to 2018, around 94% of school shootings took place at public schools, compared with 6% at private schools, according to an analysis from the Cato Institute think-tank.

A Washington Post analysis also found that about 6% of school shootings take place at private institutions, while more than 20% of all schools in the US are private.

A 28-year-old woman opened fire at a private school, killing six including three children, before being shot and killed by police.

First responders are at the Covenant School in Nashville.

Image source, WKRN

Image source, WKRN

Image source, WKRN

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Joe Biden will speak on the Nashville shooting shortly.

He is expected to deliver his remarks at around 14:30 local time (18:30 GMT) ahead of a scheduled address at the Women's Business Summit.

Follow along as we bring you live updates.

Image source, Reuters

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre is now addressing reporters.

She said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the "heart breaking news" of the shooting in Nashville, and the White House is in touch with local officials.

She said Biden is calling on Congress to "do something" to address deadly mass shootings in the US.

"We know that too often our schools and our communities are being devastated by gun violence," Jean-Pierre said.

"Schools should be safe spaces for our kids to learn and grow, and for our educators to teach."

We've just received a very short update from Nashville police on the victims and the suspect behind the shooting.

Police confirmed on Twitter that three students and three adult staff members from Covenant School were fatally shot by the active shooter.

They previously said they had believed the shooter, who is a female, was a teenager. They have since identified the suspect as a 28-year-old Nashville woman.

Her name has not been released.

Nashville police have said the suspect has been identified as a 28-year-old Nashville woman.

Image source, Reuters

More reactions are coming in now about the tragedy.

Nashville's Mayor John Cooper reacted, writing on Twitter, external:

"In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Our entire city stands with you. As facts continue to emerge, I thank our first responders and medical professionals."And First Lady Jill Biden just spoke at an event in Washington, DC telling the crowd about the news. "I am truly without words. Our children deserve better," she said, "We stand with Nashville in prayer."

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said on Twitter that he is "closely monitoring the tragic situation".

Meanwhile, state representatives in Tennessee’s Democratic Caucus have issued a statement saying its members are “praying for the children and their families who were shooting victims at the Covenant School".

"Our thoughts are with the families of the entire school community and surrounding neighbourhood," Chairman John Ray Clemmons said.

Nashville police say a female shooter with assault weapons and a handgun killed three students

Image source, WKRN

If you are just joining our live coverage, here is what we know so far:

• Police have just wrapped up a briefing to media on a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee
• They have confirmed that six people have been killed - three children and three adults
• Police said there are no additional victims
• The shooter was female, police said, and believed to be in her teens. Her name has not been released
• She was armed with two assault-style rifles and a handgun
• Police first received reports of an active shooter at 10:13 local time (15:13 GMT), and engaged with the shooter in a "lobby-like area" on the second floor of the school
• The shooter was dead by 10:27 local time (15:27 GMT), police said
• Police have not yet released the ages of the victims
• The shooting took place at The Covenant School - a private Christian school with 200 students from preschool age to the sixth grade, around 11 or 12 years old