The US votes to raise the legal age for purchasing firearms to 21.

Mass shootings in the United States have rarely prompted Congress to act, but the deaths of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde have reignited efforts to respond.

In response to recent mass shootings, US lawmakers voted to set a minimum age of 21 for purchasing semi-automatic weapons.

The vote was part of a broad gun control bill passed by the United States House of Representatives on Wednesday, which proposes raising the minimum age for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibiting the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.

The vote was 223-204 in favour of the section dealing with the minimum age for semi-automatic firearms.

The bill is unlikely to become law; Senate negotiations between Republicans and Democrats have focused on other potential measures to reduce gun violence, such as better mental health programmes, improved school security, and enhanced background checks.

The bill is likely to face Republican opposition in the Senate, but it may provide Democratic politicians with an opportunity to appeal to voters in November by emphasizing their commitment to stricter gun laws, a policy that recent polls indicate is popular.

Just over two weeks have passed since the murder of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, and the House committee heard heartbreaking testimony from victims and relatives of recent shootings.

Miah Cerrillo, 11 years old, was one of them.

Previous mass shootings have rarely resulted in political intervention regarding gun control, but there have been recent cross-party discussions about reducing gun violence in the Senate.

Republicans tend to favour maintaining the status quo and are generally opposed to gun control.

Democrats and Republicans are roughly evenly divided in Congress. Only about 24% of Republicans are thought to support stricter gun laws.

Democrats would need the support of 10 Republicans in the Senate for the bill to become law.