The president of the Independent Firearm Owners Association says there would be a civil war in America if an effort was made to take away their guns.
Richard Feldman told Newstalk Breakfast that Americans are not about to give up their guns without a "huge fight".
The gun used to murder 50 people in a gay nightclub in Orlando Florida in the early hours of Sunday - the AR-15 assault rifle - was the same gun used to kill 20 children in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and 12 people in a movie theatre in Colorado in 2012.
Mr Feldman said there are 300 million fire arms in the USA owned by 100 million people.
“American people will not stand for the government taking away our civil right to hold guns,” he said.
“It is not about the power of the gun, it is always about in whose hands are the guns. It is nonsensical to even think about it [gun control]. It is not good policy.”
Mr Feldman, who was involved in negotiations 15 years ago over child safety clips on weapons, said it was not really relevant what the rest of the world thinks of US gun control policies.
“A gun is merely a delivery device. Putting it in the hands of people who misuse is the problem,” he said.