Gun violence in the United States

She was found guilty of endangering a minor and violence against employees

Dallas police are continuing their investigation into a shooting outside a busy mall in Allen Township that left eight people dead.

On Saturday alone, 11 people were killed and at least 20 were injured in shootings in the states of Texas, California and Mississippi.

A gunman stepped out of a silver sedan and started shooting people at a Dallas-area outlet mall Saturday, killing eight and wounding seven others — three critically — before being killed by a police officer who happened to be nearby, authorities said.

A heavily armed former student killed three young children and three staff in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack at a private elementary school in Nashville on Monday, before being shot dead by police.

Chief of Police John Drake named the suspect as Audrey Hale, 28, who the officer later said identified as transgender.

Seven people were killed and one was seriously injured in two shootings in Half Moon Bay in Northern California, American media reported, cited by AFP.

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter: "The Sheriff's Office responded to a multiple victim shooting incident in the area of (Interstate) 92 and the (Half Moon Bay) city limits."

Seven people were killed in two related shootings Monday at agricultural facilities in a California coastal community south of San Francisco, marking the state's third mass killing in eight days, including Saturday's attack at a dance hall that killed 11 during Lunar New Year celebrations.

The serious incident makes a very strong case against those who oppose the constitutional right of private gun ownership

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday a proposed freeze on handgun ownership in Canada that would effectively ban their importation and sale, following recent mass shootings in the United States.

The bill must still be passed by Parliament, with the ruling Liberals holding only a minority of seats.

More than 21,500 homicides were committed in the United States last year, up 30 percent from the previous year, AFP reported, citing statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The gunman was himself killed after the shootings at Perm State University