Donald Trump has defended the use of guns in America by comparing a London hospital to a "war zone" because of knife crime.
Speaking at a pro-gun rally, the US president claimed that knife crime in London is so bad that one unnamed hospital in the capital is “like a war zone for horrible stabbing wounds” with “blood all over the floors”.
He told the National Rifle Convention (NRA) in Dallas: "I recently read a story that in London, which has unbelievably tough gun laws, a once very prestigious hospital right in the middle is like a war zone for horrible stabbing wounds.
“Yes that’s right, they don’t have guns they have knives. And instead there’s blood all over the floors of this hospital. They say it’s as bad as a military war zone hospital.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/3B2P7OXCRM5XMRQBG2VGVL6YDI.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ZAHWXGSK7ZBYLREW5NG366CBXE.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/67QKYWIQTFBKTA6OKL7HRARHTU.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YZALFLOK3P6ZYEI57C7OHXWHCY.jpg)
“We’re here today because we recognise a simple fact. The one thing that has always stood between the American people and the elimination of our Second Amendment rights has been Conservatives and congress willing to fight for those rights, and we’re fighting.”
At least 38 people in London have lost their lives to knife crime so far this year, the Met Police confirmed.
Mr Trump also argued that the Paris terror attack could have been prevented if more people were armed.
“The terrorists would have fled or been shot and it would have been a whole different story,” he said.
The 2015 attack left 130 dead after terrorists carried out a series of suicide bombs and mass shootings in the French capital.–PA