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A growing number of countries have issued travel advisories about visiting the United States in light of the daily and weekly increase in gun violence in this country.
According to a report verified by Yahoo News, which is independently verified, seven countries currently have travel advisories for their citizens who want to visit the United States.
Two of the countries included in this category are major allies of the United States: Canada and the United Kingdom. Additional countries with advice of one form or another include Australia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Uruguay.
On several occasions, the countries have urged travelers to “use caution” when visiting the United States, often linking such warnings to gun violence.
Guns for sale. (Photo credit: Flickr/Fuzzy Gerdes)
Gun-related deaths across the country make near-daily news. During the first weekend of May, eight people were killed and seven injured at a mall in the Dallas area. A weekend ago in Oklahoma, a man shot and killed his wife, three children, and two of their friends. Two days before that, a man shot and killed 5 of his neighbors. His family, including a nine-year-old boy, only asked him to stop shooting in the air when his son was about to sleep.
The shootings followed weeks of random gun violence in which a young boy was shot in the head and arm after ringing the doorbell at the wrong house where he thought he was supposed to pick up his siblings. And a 20-year-old college student was shot and killed after her friends turned onto a wrong driveway in rural New York while looking for a friend’s house.
In the first few months of 2023, there have been more than 200 mass shootings in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive website. A mass shooting is an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed, not including the perpetrator. Every year since 2018, the number of mass shootings in this country has increased by nearly 100 per year. For the past three years there have been almost two shootings every day.
Yahoo reports that the United States is the only country in the world with more guns than people. According to the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey, there are 120 guns for every 100 people.
Simon Hudson, a tourism professor at the University of South Carolina, told Yahoo News that “if people know they’re not safe in America, they won’t visit” the 2022 Global Peace Index, which measures the peace of countries. America is ranked 129th out of 163 countries in the world.
Take a closer look at US travel tips by country:
Canada
Canada’s advisory for travel to the United States currently states: “The amount of firearms in the United States is high. It is legal in many states for US citizens to officially carry a firearm in public. Mass shootings occur, which usually result in injuries. Although tourists are rarely involved, there is a risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
united kingdom
The UK’s overseas travel advice currently states: “Violent crime, including gun crime, rarely affects tourists, but you should be careful when traveling in an unfamiliar area.” Avoid walking alone in less traveled areas, especially at night. You can find public tips and information about recent events on the websites of local law enforcement officials.
New Zealand
New Zealand has raised its warning for the United States to level 2, which means that individuals visiting this country should take extra care. The country’s advisory continues, “The United States continues to be a target of terrorist interest, both from international terrorist groups and from domestic extremists.”
Australia
Australia also warned its citizens about gun violence in the United States: “Violent crime is more common than in Australia.” Gun crime is also rampant. If you live in the US, learn and practice active shooter drills.
Venezuela
In the case of Venezuela, the warning has been in place since 2019, due to what that country has described as “an increase in acts of violence and indiscriminate hate crimes.”
Uruguay
The Uruguayan government advises its citizens against traveling to the United States “in light of the increasing incidence of discriminatory violence resulting from hate crimes, including racism and discrimination.”
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