Hundreds March In New York To Back Gun Control

Demonstrators have marched from Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall in New York City to demand stricter gun control laws.

The protest was organised by groups partially funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a leading champion of firearms regulation.

Among the activists taking part were family members of some of those killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook primary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Erica Lafferty - whose mother Dawn Hochspring was the principal at Sandy Hook - addressed the activists.

Actress Amanda Peet also spoke at the event, which was led by several groups, Moms Demand Action, Everytown For Gun Safety and Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

The protesters also invoked the rallying cry of a father whose son was among six people shot and knifed to death by 21-year-old Elliot Rodger in Santa Barbara, California, last month.

At a memorial for his son, Richard Martinez urged mourners to send a gun-control message to Washington by chanting "Not one more".

Billionaire businessman Mr Bloomberg said in April he would pump $50m of his own money into a new initiative designed to counter the formidable influence of the National Rifle Association.