A week after, a gunman opened fire inside a Texas elementary school, the first of 21 funerals.

Amerie Jo Garza's family laid her to rest as the spotlight shifts to gun reform, with US President Joe Biden visiting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to discuss her 2019 ban on military-style firearms in the wake of the Christchurch shooting.

Two instructors and 19 students were slain last week in Uvalde, approximately 90 minutes west of San Antonio, when an 18-year-old shooter entered a classroom and began firing a military-style rifle on Tuesday, May 24 (local time).

The first two funerals were held exactly one week later, while at least one family has not yet seen the body of their loved one due to the demand on local funeral facilities.

After a white supremacist killed 51 Muslim worshippers in two Christchurch mosques, Mr. Biden hailed Ms. Ardern for her "galvanising leadership" in New Zealand's efforts to limit the propagation of extremism online.

Less than a month after the shooting, Ms. Ardern successfully achieved passage of gun control measures. All but one of the country's 120 federal parliamentarians voted to ban military-style semiautomatic firearms.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand extended her sympathies to Vice President Biden and expressed her willingness to give "anything that we can share that would be of any value" from her country's experience.

Ms. Ardern told reporters following the conference, "Our experience demonstrated our need for gun reform, but it also demonstrated what I think is an international issue around violent extremism and terrorism online,"

Funeral attendees turned away as the church approaches capacity

Hundreds of mourners attended an afternoon memorial service for Amerie Jo Garza.

Six pallbearers wearing white shirts and gloves brought her modest casket inside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which was full and had to turn away several mourners.

The funeral service for 10-year-old Maite Rodriguez was scheduled for Tuesday evening at one of Uvalde's funeral homes.

Tuesday was also visitation day for one of the instructors, 48-year-old Irma Garcia, and the youngsters Nevaeh Bravo and Jose Flores Jr.

A Texas carpenter stated that he had designed and donated coffins to several victims.

Erika Santiago, her husband, and their two children all wore purple shirts with photographs of the victims to Amerie's funeral; purple was her favorite color.

Ms. Santiago described Amerie as "a nice little girl who smiled a lot" and "so humble and charismatic but full of life."

She stated that her 10-year-old son Adriel watched in terror as the first photographs of the shooting were broadcast on the news, recognizing his friends Amerie and Maite.

"It affected him so much," she added.

"He informed me he did not want to attend school out of concern that this would occur. He told me: 'Mom, I just don't feel safe.'"

Over the following two-and-a-half weeks, funerals for the other fatalities will continue.

The family has not yet seen the body of the murdered daughter

Layla, the 11-year-old daughter of Vincent Salazar, will have her visitation on June 15, followed by her funeral on the following day.

Mr. Salazar stated that Layla's family would likely not see her body until just before the visitation.

Typically, when someone dies, these events occur within three or four days, he explained.

"It's not typical for something to last this long. I am aware that there were other youngsters, but we are only waiting for her return.

"That's all we're focused on right now — getting [Layla] back and being able to put her to rest."

According to Uvalde County Justice of the Peace Eulalio "Lalo" Diaz Jr., all 21 victims' remains were taken to the medical examiner's office in San Antonio for autopsies, as is customary for significant crimes.

According to him, the two funeral homes in Uvalde did not have enough space to store all of the bodies, so many were moved to funeral homes outside of town until the services.

Where do you store so many individuals? Mr. Diaz said.

Police response under criticism

The US Department of Justice is reviewing law enforcement actions as investigators continue to investigate the police response to the incident.

The school district's homegrown police chief, Pete Arredondo, was blamed for an agonizing delay in killing the gunman. Parents outside begged police to rush in, and panicked children called 911 from inside. The director of the state police said Mr. Arredondo made the "wrong decision" not to breach the classroom, believing the gunman was barricaded inside and children were not in danger.

Steven McCraw, the Texas Department of Public Safety director, stated on Friday that cops waited more than an hour before entering the classroom after tracking the shooter into the building.

This discovery sparked further doubts about whether lives were lost because authorities did not move more quickly to stop the shooter, who Border Patrol tactical officers ultimately killed.

Everyone was putting out their best effort.

Tuesday, Jacob Albarado, an off-duty Border Patrol agent who hurried to the school with a shotgun borrowed from his barber, described the frantic scene when he arrived searching for his daughter and wife.

He stated that neither was physically injured in the attack.

"To me, I believe everyone there was doing the best that they could, given the circumstances," he said on NBC's Today Show.

I believe that everyone was making every effort possible.

Authorities said the shooter legally purchased two firearms shortly before the school shooting: an AR-style rifle on May 17 and another on May 20.

He had recently turned 18, allowing him to purchase firearms under federal law.