Following a series of recent mass shootings in the United States, Amnesty International has now issued a travel advisory warning those intending to travel to the North American country
In a statement posted on their official Twitter account, Amnesty called on travellers and visitors to the United States to exercise extreme caution and have a contingency plan when travelling throughout the country.
This move they say is due to ongoing rampant gun violence in the United States.
" Depending on the traveller's gender identity, race, country of origin, ethnic background, they may be at a higher risk of being targetted with gun violence and should plan accordingly," the statement read in part.
Amnesty further says that the US has an obligation to enact a range of measures to regulate access to firearms and to protect the rights of people.
Uruguay on Monday issued a warning to its citizens travelling to the United States after the two mass shootings.
In a press release, the Foreign Ministry advised avoiding cities such as Detroit, Baltimore and Albuquerque, which it said are among the 20 most dangerous in the world, citing an index by CEOWORLD magazine.
This latest advisory comes barely days after nine people were killed and at least 16 injured in a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.
The shooting in Ohio followed a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas hours before which left at least 20 people dead.
Today we issue a travel warning calling for travelers & visitors to the United States to exercise extreme caution & have a contingency plan when travelling throughout the country. This is due to ongoin rampant gun violence in the United States. pic.twitter.com/eVVeMnAOOP
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) August 7, 2019
Footage posted on social media showed people running as dozens of gunshots echoed through the streets.
Reports indicated that a man armed with a rifle opened fire at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, killing 20 people and wounding 26 others as panicked shoppers and employees scurried for cover before the gunman surrendered to police at the scene.
The carnage ranked as the eighth-deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, after a 1984 shooting in San Ysidro, California, that claimed 21 lives.
The suspect surrendered to police as officers closed in on him, and he was taken into custody without incident, according to authorities. Video posted on social media appeared to show him being handcuffed by police and placed in a squad car.
