The US should prioritise funding for school security over aid to Ukraine, former President Donald Trump has said days after 19 Texas pupils were killed.

If the US can send billions to Ukraine, "we should be able to do whatever it takes to keep our children safe at home", he said at a pro-gun conference.

The meeting of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the largest US gun group, is taking place in Houston.

It comes three days after a mass shooting by a teenager in Uvalde.

"The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun," Donald Trump told the NRA convention in Houston on Friday night.

It is a familiar phrase among pro-gun advocates who insist that more guns, not fewer, are needed to tackle armed violence in America.

Mr Trump also repeated the same themes I'd heard from NRA members outside the hall - they say the focus should be on mental health issues that drive people to carry out mass shootings - not the weapons they use.

After reading out the names of all 21 victims of the Uvalde school massacre, the former president said: "The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens, not disarm them."

He went on to accuse Democrats of politicking a tragedy by advocating greater gun control legislation.

Several other politicians and performers pulled out of the event that was being held fewer than 300 miles from Uvalde. Mr Trump took a swipe at them too - saying: "And unlike some I didn't disappoint you by not showing up."