James Corden is haunted by the "horror" of being told children have been gunned down in a school shooting

Corden said: "As a father I can't imagine the horror of that phone call.

"When I drop my kids off at school this morning and kiss them goodbye, it doesn't cross your mind that that could ever be the last goodbye.

"The thought of that phone call - that your child is the victim in a mass shooting - is beyond comprehension as a human being.

"I'm so deeply sad for the families of these children, the trauma of the survivors and for the future that these kids will never see.

"I don't know what has to happen to change things here."

The British-born comedian, who moved to LA in 2015 to host 'The Late Late Show' said America's gun laws are failing to live up to the ideals of a country he has "always admired".

He urged: "You have a problem, you solve it. You're on the forefront of medicine, of technology, of innovation.

"When there's a world war, you are the ones we turn to. Yet on this issue, America is one of the most backward places in the world."

Corden stressed there have been no school shootings this year in Britain, Japan or Australia - while America has been blighted by 27 so far this year.

He added: "Nothing will change. Gun money will continue to get in the way of morality,' he vented. 'Words of thoughts and prayers will come from our leaders, but I fear change never will.

"I hold out hope that this country will eventually wake up and change this senseless gun culture. My heart simply goes out to every single person in Texas tonight.

"But prayers won't end this, voting might. So when you vote, ask yourself this question:

"Who running for office has publicly stated that they are willing to do anything and everything in their power to protect your children from the criminally insane number of guns in America?"

The Robb Elementary attack, in the mainly Latino town of Uvalde, was the deadliest school shooting in the US since 20 children and six adults were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.

Only 10 days earlier, 10 black people were shot to death in a race-hate rampage at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.

Father-of-four talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, 54, has also called for an overhaul of US gun laws, as have famous faces including mum-of-six Madonna, 63, and dad-of-three Matthew McConaughey, 52.