President Joe Biden has called for an assault weapon ban and the closure of background check loopholes, after the seventh mass killing this year in the US left 10 dead.

In an address to the nation following the bloodshed at a supermarket in Colorado, the president said simply: “We must act.”

And he called on political colleagues of all parties to support him.

He said he “does not need to wait another minute to take common sense steps to save lives in the future” and said gun control measures should not be a partisan issue.

He made a plea for a ban on both assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and called for the closing of loopholes in the current background check systems that are carried out when a person buys a gun.

On Monday, SWAT teams and at least three helicopters were called to the King Sooper store in Boulder – about 28 miles north of central Denver – after reports of a man wearing tactical gear shooting a rifle inside.

Terrified shoppers and workers scrambled for safety while armed officers exchanged fire with the suspect.

Police officer and father of seven Eric Talley, 51, ran to the store following the call – but was killed as he tried to stop the man.

Nine other members of the public, mostly doing their grocery shopping, were also shot dead.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, a 21-year-old from Arvada, Colorado, has been charged with 10 counts of murder. He is currently in hospital in a stable condition, police said, and is expected to be released and transported to Boulder County Jail later on Tuesday.

The attack was the seventh mass killing this year in the US, following last week’s shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-area massage businesses.

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