Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that it was not the time for a political debate on gun control in the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas in which 59 people were murdered and more than 500 others were wounded, Reuters reported.

Asked during his return from touring hurricane damage in Puerto Rico whether such a debate would come at some point in time, Trump responded, “Perhaps that will come,” but added that it was “not for now.”

Police discovered 18 firearms in the home of the shooter, Stephen Paddock, hours after the attack, after discovering at least 20 rifles in his hotel room.

Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for action on gun control in the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, which was the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on Tuesday announced plans to introduce legislation to ban the sale of "bump stocks," a device that allows semi-automatic firearms to function like an automatic weapon, reported ABC News.

Republican leaders pushed back on Democrats' calls for tightening gun control legislation following the shooting, calling the demands premature.

"I think it's particularly inappropriate to politicize an event like this," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Tuesday. "The investigation's not even been completed."

"Let's wait," added Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who has repeatedly introduced bipartisan background check legislation to toughen background checks and expand them to all commercial firearm sales, including gun show and internet purchases. "To me, it's really wrong to jump out and politicize a tragedy."