The CNN television show host turned on gun lobbyists in the US following the shooting dead of 20 children at Sandy Hook school last month.

His calls for a ban were met with fierce opposition from pro-gun groups, including the launch of a "deport Piers Morgan" petition by American radio host Alex Jones, with whom Morgan had a heated on-air debate about the issue.

Speaking from New York on Daybreak, Morgan said the petition had been unsuccessful after being turned down by President Obama and he would remain in the country to carry on the battle.

He told the show: "We're in a country, in America, where there are 300 million guns in circulation and although I understand that the American constitution empowers Americans to believe they are entitled to have a handgun or a pistol to defend themselves at home, what it doesn't do is entitle deranged young people to get easy access to these killing machines, and that's what the assault rifles are.

"They are really military-style machine guns and you can then go and buy a magazine with 100 bullets, load yourself up, and commit carnage. And it's that specific thing I'm trying to help get banned here."

He branded pro-gun advocate Jones "bordering on insane" after their on-screen meeting...