Donald Trump became US President a little over a year ago, but in that time he has delivered four national addresses following a mass shooting.
In his latest speech from the White House Mr Trump called for "healing and peace", and for Americans to work together to "create a culture that embraces the dignity of life".
"Our administration is working closely with local authorities to investigate the shooting and learn everything we can," he said. "We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools and tackle the difficult issue of mental health."
But the word 'gun' was not mentioned once, let alone the fact that 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who's been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, used an AR-15 assault rifle - a weapon repeatedly used in mass shootings.
As Mr Trump left, questions from the waiting press about whether he will do something about gun safety went unanswered.
Outrage on Capitol Hill
Mr Trump was immediately criticised for focusing particularly on mental health nearly a year to the day since he signed a law revoking an Obama-era initiative that made it harder for people with mental illness to buy a gun.
As with previous shootings, the reaction from Democrats and Republicans was polarised.
As the Democrats push for expanded background checks, congressman Mike Thompson called the lack of action against gun violence "appalling".
"If I was a Republican member, I'd be embarrassed that my leadership wouldn't address this issue," he said.
"Thirty people every day are killed by someone using a gun, and the best we can do is say we need more information?
"I agree we need all the information we can get, but what do we do with it? Are we going to put it with all the information we got after the last shooting? Or maybe all the information we got after the shooting before that?"
A moment of silence was observed in the US Senate, but the Democrats' house minority leader Nancy Pelosi said politicians can't afford to stay silent.
"I'd rather pass gun safety legislation than win the election," she said.
"People die from this, so it's a priority I've always had."
Meanwhile, Republican House speaker Paul Ryan has been on the defensive.
"This is one of those moments where we just need to step back and count our blessings," he said. "We need to think less about taking sides and fighting each other politically, and just pulling together."
But Mr Ryan went on to blame the Senate for the not acting to address loopholes in the instant background check system, while at the same time defending legislation to effectively allow nationwide concealed gun permits.
'Now is the time for gun control debate' : officials
Florida already allows people to buy firearms without a permit or license, and does not require guns to be registered.
Students who attended the school on the day of the shooting told education officials, including Florida district superintendent Robert Runcie, that something must be done immediately.
"Students have been reaching out to me," he said. "Now is the time for this country to have a real conversation on sensible gun control laws.
"I hope we can get it done in this generation. But if we don't, they will."
Florida's Republican governor Rick Scott said he would discuss the gun issue when he meets with other state leaders next week.
"We want to make sure this never happens again," he said. "We're going to have a real conversation about two things.
"How do we make sure when a parent is ready to send their child to school in Florida, that parent knows their child is going to be safe? Number two: how do we make sure that individuals with mental illness do not touch a gun?
"We need to have a real conversation so we have public safety for our schools in this state."
