Democrats and some Republicans in the US Senate have discussed tightening reviews of gun buyers following the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade, although members of both parties acknowledged action was unlikely.

There is a wide gap between the two parties, with Republicans arguing that new limits on legal gun purchases will do nothing to deter crime, despite impassioned pleas by Democratic President Joe Biden and some of his Senate colleagues to act.

"My Republican colleagues can work with us now. I know this is a slim prospect, very slim, all too slim," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech a day after a gunman killed 19 young children and two teachers at a Texas school.

Democrats control razor-thin majorities in Congress but Senate rules mean they need at least 10 Republicans to pass major legislation. That's a tall order with less than six months to go before November elections in which Republicans aim to retake the majority.

Similar debates have erupted following the many mass shootings that have occurred in the United States over the past decades, with little to no action by Congress.

Republicans Susan Collins and Pat Toomey said they had been in contact with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy about possible legislation to deny weapons to people deemed dangerous and to tighten background checks for gun purchasers.

Schumer's Republican counterpart, Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, on Wednesday condemned the murderous actions of a "deranged" gunman and a "maniac" without addressing prospects for legislation.

Republican Senator Mike Rounds said that banning assault rifles or placing age restrictions on gun purchases would not have prevented the Texas shooting.

"Show us what would stop this from happening," Rounds said. (Reuters)