‘When are we going to do something? It's pathetic!' NBA coach Steve Kerr - whose dad was shot dead by terrorists - angrily demands senate enact gun background checks after Texas massacre

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NBA coach Steve Kerr lost his temper as he demanded background checks for guns in the wake of Tuesday's massacre at a Texas school that killed 19 children.  

The Golden State warriors coach - whose father was shot dead by terrorists in 1984 - spoke at a press conference ahead of his side's fourth game against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Western Conference Final. He was so angry he banged his fist on a table for all to see.

'We're not going to talk about basketball,' Kerr said at the beginning of his team's press conference. 'Nothing's happened with our team in the last six hours. We're going to start the same way tonight. Any basketball questions don't matter.'

'Since we left shoot around 14 children were killed 400 miles from here, and a teacher, and in the last ten days, we've had elderly black people killed in a supermarket in buffalo,' the basketball coach added. 

'We had Asian churchgoers killed in southern California. Now we have children murdered at school. When are we going to do something? I'm tired. I'm so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I'm so tired of the -- I'm sorry. I'm tired of the moments of silence. Enough.'

Kerr has personal experience of losing a loved one to gun violence. His father, Professor Malcolm Kerr, was shot and killed in a targeted attack while working at the American University of Beirut in 1984.

Professor Kerr - who worked to try and foster harmony between Christians, Muslims and Jews, was murdered by jihadis, although no motive has ever been disclosed.  

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, 56, slammed Congress for not taking enough action on passing stricter background checks on gun registration and purchases at a press conference ahead of his team's Game 4 encounter against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Western Conference Finals

Steve Kerr's father, Malcolm Kerr, was shot to death by terrorists in Lebanon while he was the President of the American University of Beirut in 1984

A woman cries Tuesday, May 24, 2022, as she leaves the Uvalde Civic Center, in Uvalde, Texas. At least 18 students and two teachers were killed when a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, according to Texas Governor Gregg Abbott

Kerr went on to slam all 50 state Senators for refusing to vote in favor of HR-8 - a bill that advocates for stricter background check on firearm purchases. He said that the bill had been 'sitting' at the House for two years and that the reason for not voting on it involves Senators wanting 'to hold on to power.'  

'I ask you, Mitch McConnell, I ask all you senators who refuse to do anything about the violence and school shootings and supermarket shootings, I ask you: are you going to put your desire for power ahead of the lives of our children and elderly and our churchgoers? That's what it looks like. It's what we do every week. So I'm fed up. I've had enough,' Kerr reiterated.

The 56-year-old former Cleveland Cavalier and San Antonio Spur then asked for every one who attended the pre-game press conference 'to think about your own child or grandchild or mother or father, sister, or brother. How would you feel if this happened to you  today? We can't get numb to this.'

He added that 'senators in Washington are going to us hostage,' referring to a Quinnipiac University statistic that claims that 94 percent of Americans are in favor of supporting or opposing 'requiring background checks for all gun buyers' from 2017. 

'They won't vote on it because they want to hold onto their own power. It's pathetic. I've had enough,' Kerr angrily said, putting his fist on the table, before jetting out of the presser.

 LeBron James led the calls for action with this message

The Lakers star sent two message of outrage following the shooting

Earlier on Tuesday, LeBron James led the calls for action following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Many of those who tweeted in the initial aftermath were responding to initial reports that 14 children had been killed at the time. That tally has now gone up to 18 while a second teacher also died. 

James wrote in a tweet: 'There has to be change! HAS TO BE!! Praying to the heavens above to all with kids these days in schools.'

In an earlier tweet, the Lakers star wrote: 'My thoughts and prayers goes out to the families of love ones loss & injured at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX! Like when is enough enough man!!! These are kids and we keep putting them in harms way at school. Like seriously "AT SCHOOL" where it's suppose to be the safest!'

Chris Evans also called for gun reform. The 'Capt America' has previously called for common sense gun reform

Gun sense activist Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, described himself as 'speechless' following the Uvalde shooting

Salvador Ramos, 18, a local high school student was named as the perpetrator of the attack by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott. Abbott initially identified the suspect Salvador Roma.

Earlier that day, Ramos shot and killed his grandmother. The attack is one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history and the worst school shooting at an elementary school since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012.

'Captain America' star Chris Evans tweeted: 'F***ING ENOUGH!!!!' Evans has previously called for 'common sense reform' with regard to guns in the past.

Just a few hours after the shooting, President Joe Biden ordered that all United States flags at government buildings and military bases worldwide be held at half-mast.

Salvador Ramos, 18, a local high school student was named as the perpetrator of the attack by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott

Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said in a tweet that 'Thoughts and prayers are not enough.' She added: 'After years of nothing else, we are becoming a nation of anguished screams. We simply need legislators willing to stop the scourge of gun violence in America that is murdering our children.'

Fellow Democrat and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker tweeted: 'Children went to school today and were killed in a mass shooting. Another American community shattered by gun violence. Another round of thoughts and prayers. They’re hollow words if we continue to do nothing to end the violent, unrelenting, preventable shootings in our county.'

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said of the massacre: 'I'm heartbroken for the victims of today's horrific shooting in Texas. You should be able to go to school, and to church, and to the grocery store without needing to worry that you're not going to come home. It’s past time to put an end to these needless tragedies.'

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy tweeted in the immediate aftermath of the shooting: 'Oh my god. I’m shaking. I’m just shaking all over. With fear. With anger. With resolve.'

Democrats, including Hilary Clinton and Cory Booker, tweeted their condolences to those who lost loved ones in Tuesday's mass shooting. Clinton wrote: 'After years of nothing else, we are becoming a nation of anguished screams' 

President Joe Biden has announced that US flags at government buildings and military bases will be held at half mast in the aftermath of the massacre

Authorities in Texas have not revealed a motive for the massacre

Later, Murphy appealed for legislation to address gun violence on the Senate floor asking his colleagues: 'What are we doing?'

On the other side of the aisle, Texas Senator Ted Cruz said in a message: 'Heidi & I are fervently lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde. We are in close contact with local officials, but the precise details are still unfolding. Thank you to heroic law enforcement & first responders for acting so swiftly.'

Texas Senator Ted Cruz thanked first responders in his remarks on Twitter

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who is up for reelection this November, tweeted about her 'heartbreak' following the shooting

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, a leading voice in the movement to prevent gun violence, made headlines with his pleas for change on the Senate floor following the shooting

Actress Alyssa Milano and former cyclist Lance Armstrong tweeted their anger in reaction to Tuesday's tragic news

Actress and activist Alyssa Milano called out Democratic Senators Krysten Sinema and Joe Manchin as well as Cruz for supposed in action on progressive issues. Milano wrote: 'F*** you, Ted Cruz. F*** Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema. How many children have to die?'

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong chimed in saying: 'America, we’re better than this. Deepest condolences to the families.'

In his message, Armstrong was retweeting former Miami, Austin and Houston police chief Art Acevedo who wrote: '14 lives lost and we do nothing. It angers me to see so many elected officials on the right offer thoughts and prayers and easy gun access, and on the left too many coddling violent criminals. We need to address gun violence in a comprehensive manner, and we need to do it now.'

Former police chief Art Acevedo tweeted: '14 lives lost and we do nothing'

Piers Morgan has been a critic of gun laws in the US since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012

Tennis superstar Andy Murray summed up his feelings on the shooting in a tweet

Meanwhile talk show host and long time opponent of America's gun laws, Piers Morgan, tweeted: '14 schoolchildren and a teacher at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas have been shot dead by an 18-year-old gunman. Absolutely horrendous. I don’t know what else to say about these endless US gun massacres - it’s for Americans to resolve but where is the will?'

Tennis superstar Andy Murray tweeted in reply to Morgan simply: 'F*****g madness.'

A woman reacts outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School after a shooting, in Uvalde

Activist Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime, was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, tweeted: 'I am speechless. Another school shooting. At least 2 dead, including kids. Multiple injured.'

The founder Mom's Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Shannon Watts tweeted: 'According to the Governor of Texas, the gunman who killed at least 15 people in Uvalde is an 18-year-old who lives in the community. He had a handgun and may have been armed with a rifle, too. In 2021, Texas lawmakers lowered the age to carry a handgun to 18.'

Former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara tweeted simply: 'Goddamnit.'

MSNBC Contributor Sam Stein wrote: 'Sorry, but this tragedy isn’t “unimaginable.” We saw ten people killed at a grocery store last week! We saw an elementary school shot up with 20 kids dead less than ten years ago. It’s very much imaginable now.'

Gun reform activist Shannon Watts tweeted about changes in Texas law that allowed 18 year old people to carry handguns

MSNBC talking head Sam Stein said tweeted that: 'This tragedy isn't 'unimaginable.'

Former WWE superstar Mick Foley tweeted about the shooting

Amanda Gorman who spoke out President Biden's inauguration called the lack of gun reform 'insanity' and 'inhumanity'

Poet Amanda Gorman, who read her work 'The Hill We Climb,' at President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021 tweeted: 'It takes a monster to kill children. But to watch monsters kill children again and again and do nothing isn’t just insanity—it’s inhumanity.'

Former Washington NFL star expressed his feeling saying: 'How many innocent kids' lives need to be lost or put in danger?'

Actress Mia Farrow tweeted a video of Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy pleading for gun reform

Former NFL star RGIII tweeted: 'A deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas happened today. How many innocent kids’ lives need to be lost or put in danger for us as a country to change our approach to guns? How many people have to die for our country to realize WE HAVE A GUN PROBLEM?'

Actress Mia Farrow said about the shooting: 'Politicians make a CHOICE to do NOTHING to protect our children, our neighbors, us. We have more mass shootings than days in the year. This doesn’t happen in other countries. What are we doing?'

Former WWE World Champion Mick Foley tweeted: 'I just heard the news about the shooting in Texas. Devastated. When is enough, enough?'