Navy Yard shooting must inspire gun law change - Obama

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There have been several mass shootings in the United States in recent months, and after each, Obama has pushed the case for tighter controls on gun ownership, to no avail.

"No other advanced nation endures this kind of violence. None," he declared, at a ceremony in the Washington Navy Yard, where a contractor killed 12 people in a gun rampage on Monday.

Monday's incident, in which a troubled former serviceman shot randomly at workers at the naval headquarters, brought carnage within blocks of the US Capitol, where Congress sits.

Lawmakers have thwarted attempts by Obama and his supporters to strengthen background checks for gun permits, citing the right to bear arms enshrined in the US constitution.

But Obama, while admitting that the message was far from new, said the latest bloodshed should be a wake-up call for Americans.

"Our tears are not enough. Our words and our prayers are not enough," Obama said.

"The main difference that sets our nation apart, what makes us so susceptible to so many mass shootings is we don't do enough, we don't take the basic common sense actions to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people," the president added.

"What is different in America is that it is easy to get your hands on a gun."

Obama admitted that it looked unlikely that change would come from Washington, but called on American voters to insist on reform.