Amnesty International issues US travel warning citing ‘rampant gun violence’

Amnesty International, in the wake of two deadly mass shootings, issued a travel advisory for people going to the United States due to “ongoing high levels of gun violence in the country.”

“The Amnesty International travel advisory for the country of the United States of America calls on people worldwide to exercise caution and have an emergency contingency plan when traveling throughout the USA,” said the alert issued Wednesday.

{mosads}The warning goes on to advise those traveling to the U.S. to be “extra vigilant at all times and be wary of the ubiquity of firearms among the population,” to “avoid places where large number of people gather, especially cultural events, places of worship, schools, and shopping malls” and to “exercise increased caution when visiting local bars, nightclubs, and casinos.”

The nongovernmental organization also warned that some travelers could be at a higher risk of being targeted with gun violence in the country depending on his or her gender identity, race, country of origin, ethnic background, or sexual orientation.

“Under international human rights law, the United States has an obligation to enact a range of measures at the federal, state, and local levels to regulate access to firearms and to protect the rights of people to live and move freely without the threat of gun violence,” the organization added in the advisory. “The government has not take sufficient steps to meet this obligation.”

More than 30 people were killed in the mass shootings that took place in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, over the weekend.

In the aftermath of both shootings, multiple foreign nations have issued similar travel advisories to citizens who may be traveling to the U.S. 

Uruguay told its citizens to exercise extreme caution “against growing indiscriminate violence, mostly for hate crimes … which cost more than 250 people their lives in the first seven months of the year.” The Consulate General of Japan in Detroit warned Japanese residents to “be aware of the potential for gunfire incidents everywhere in the United States,” which it described as a “gun society.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro also warned citizens “living in or aiming to travel to the U.S., to be extra careful or to postpone their travel, given the recent proliferation of violent acts and hate crimes.”