The White House says President Barack Obama supports efforts to reinstate an assault weapons ban, as the gun control debate is reignited following a deadly school rampage.

Spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday the president is also in favor of closing the gun show loophole, which allows people to purchase guns from private dealers without undergoing background checks.

The gun control debate returned to the spotlight after Friday's shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein, the author of the assault weapons ban that lapsed in 2004, said she will introduce new legislation at the start of the next Congress in January.

Authorities believe the shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, killed his mother at home and then took some of her guns, including a military-style assault rifle, with him to the school.

In a statement Tuesday, the National Rifle Association, a powerful gun lobby organization that says it has four-million members, said it is shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the Newtown shooting. It said it is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to prevent massacres.