Republican strategist Greg Swenson has mounted a vigorous defence of American firearms legislation following the fatal shooting of prominent Conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Mr Swenson argued that virtually all American firearm owners possess their weapons legally and are law-abiding citizens, and the issue is "violent crime," not gun.

Mr Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Wednesday while addressing students at Utah Valley University in what was intended as the opening event of an autumn campus tour.

The influential media figure had established himself as a leading voice in American conservatism over the past decade, building a substantial political and media enterprise.

Greg Swenson has mounted a vigorous defence of American firearms legislation

There has since been an outpouring of tributes from political figures with some calling for tighter gun control laws.

Speaking about this on GB News, Chairman of Republicans Overseas UK Mr Swenson said: "It's completely obscene because they don't do their homework on gun control.

"They don't understand that most people who own guns 99.9 per cent are perfectly legal gun owners and are not criminals. So, this is not a gun issue. Violent crime is a crime issue. We have the George Soros-backed DAs who don't prosecute crime.

"It had nothing to do with guns, but it doesn't fit the left's narrative."

He added: "This is a typical reaction about gun control, and what they don’t admit is that the numbers are completely correlated with mental health issues, with the number of people who used to be institutionalised now out on the streets, and the amount of medication prescribed for mental health issues.

"We have a crime problem, that's for sure."

He explained: "He knew that he was at risk almost all the time. This was a political assassination. The rhetoric on the left is outrageous.

"Governor Newsom was on a podcast this week threatening the right, saying that 'we have to fight, we have to fight fire with fire. We're not going to take it anymore.' It's outrageous.

"They hated Charlie Kirk because he was persuasive and because he was right. He was also, as I said earlier, a really good guy a very good influence on young people."

Mr Kirk was one of President Trump's most trusted advisers, rising from relative obscurity to prominence within the conservative movement.

Charlie Kirk at the Utah rally hours before his death | GETTY

His death occurred during one of his signature campus speaking engagements, where he regularly engaged in public debates with university students across America.

The shooting took place on Wednesday afternoon as Kirk delivered remarks to the student audience at the Utah institution.

Mr Swenson expressed particular sympathy for Kirk's widow and two young children, calling the loss devastating for the family.