This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On August 8, 2019, Amnesty International issued a worldwide travel alert for the United States, warning that frequent mass shootings and lax gun control pose a significant threat to visitors' safety.
The London-based rights watchdog argued that the US government has not taken sufficient steps to regulate access to firearms and protect citizens' rights to live and move freely without the threat of gun violence.
“Travellers to the United States should remain cautious that the country does not adequately protect people’s right to be safe, regardless of who they might be. People in the United States cannot reasonably expect to be free from harm – a guarantee of not being shot is impossible,” said Ernest Coverson, campaign manager for the End Gun Violence Campaign at Amnesty International USA.
Amnesty International's advisory comes days after two gun incidents in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, left 31 people dead. President Donald Trump blamed the shootings on violent video games, mental instability, and racial hate, but activists argue that the lack of proper gun control measures is a major contributor to the problem.
A recent report by Human Rights Watch found that there is insufficient evidence to prove a link between mental illness and mass shootings. Instead, the report observed that people with mental health conditions are more than 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population.
Trump's administration has banned modifications on gun bump-stocks, but activists say that proper laws on background checks are essential for anyone applying to own a gun. According to Human Rights Watch, more than half of people who commit mass shootings have had a history of domestic violence.
The US ranks 28th globally as the most dangerous place to be wounded or killed in gun violence, according to a report by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. Both Venezuela and Uruguay have warned their citizens about violence and hate crimes in the US.
