Experts believe that the incident, which US President Donald Trump termed as an "act of pure evil", is unlikely to bridge the bitter differences between the pro- and anti-gun control law lobbies in the country.

Fourteen photos from events that defined the world in the week gone by.

The gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College in rural Roseburg, about 180 miles south of Portland -- the capital of Oregon -- and then went on to other classrooms gunning down his victims, witnesses said.