Pop star Taylor Swift retweeted the video and expressed her own anger and frustration over what had happened, tweeting that she was filled with “rage and grief”.

“By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others. By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak. Steve’s words ring so true and cut so deep,” she wrote.

Actor Matthew McConaughey, who is from Uvalde, issued a lengthy statement on social media, which he pinned on to the top of his Twitter account.

“As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my home town of Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us,” he wrote.

“This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better. Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.”

Captain America star Chris Evans wrote in all capitals, “[Expletive] enough,” while fellow Marvel superhero Simu Liu called for accountability over the incident.

“Heartbroken for the families, friends and classmates of Robb Elementary School. My deepest condolences go out to those affected, and my mind yearns for accountability,” he wrote. “A system that allows for this many mass shootings simply must change. It’s time to demand action.”

British actor Jason Isaacs asked: “When will the right to bear arms be balanced against the right to live free from fear of slaughter by arms?”

Poet Amanda Gorman, who shot to fame after a reading at US President Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony in January 2021, wrote a poem and posted it on social media.

It read: “Schools scared to death. The truth is, one education under desks, Stooped low from bullets; That plunge when we ask. Where our children Shall live & how & if.”

Sharing a link to gun violence charity Everytown, Gorman captioned her post: “Americans — you know enough is enough. If you do anything today, let it not be just to grieve, but to act.”

Star Trek actor George Takei said: “There are no words. And there are no actions ever taken. If we want things to change, we must demand it from our leaders.”

Actress and singer Selena Gomez also tweeted: “It’s so frustrating and I’m not sure what to say anymore. Those in power need to stop giving lip service and actually change the laws to prevent these shootings in the future,” while also linking to Everytown.

The Late Late Show host James Corden filmed a special message after his show. In it, he called America “one of the most backward places in the world” because of its gun laws.

He also described his sadness as a father and how he grieved for the families who had lost children in the shooting.

“I’m so deeply sad for the families of these children, the trauma of the survivors and for the future these kids will never see,” he said.

“It doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t reflect the country that I think America is, the America I have always admired. You have a problem, you solve it.”

Corden also cited how there have been no school shootings in England, Japan or Australia this year, then compared it to the 27 school shootings and 212 mass shootings that have happened “just five months into the year”.

“I’ll probably be stood here in a week or two, talking about another place,” he said.

“Words of thoughts and prayers will come from our leaders but I fear change never will.”

Updated: May 25, 2022, 12:32 PM