Two South American countries recommend against U.S. travel after mass shootings

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Cillian O'Brien CTVNews.ca Writer

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Two South American governments have issued warnings against travel to the U.S. following two mass shootings over the weekend.

Venezuela and Uruguay both issued statements on Monday following a bloody weekend of gun deaths in the U.S.

Nine people were killed in Dayton, Ohio, by a gunman with an AR-15 style gun. The shooting outside a strip of nightclubs early Sunday and another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday left a combined total of 31 people dead and more than 50 injured in less than 24 hours.

The Venezuelan government suggested that its citizens “postpone their travel and take precautions … given the proliferation of acts of violence and crimes of indiscriminate hatred, expressed last weekend in the towns of El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.”

The statement said “these growing acts of violence” have found “echo and sustenance” from the “supremacist elite who hold political power in Washington.”

It also recommends avoiding large crowds, especially with children, and goes on to give a list of U.S. cities including Buffalo as “among the most dangerous in the world.”

The U.S. Department of State has a Level 4: Do Not Travel travel advisory in place for crisis-hit Venezuela.

“Do not travel to Venezuela due to crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, kidnapping, and arbitrary arrest and detention of U.S. citizens,” the advisory reads.

“Violent crime, such as homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking, is common.”

The Uruguayan foreign ministry warning is very similarly worded to that of Venezuela, with both warning of the “indiscriminate possession of firearms” by the U.S. population.

The U.S. Department of State has a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution advisory in place for Uruguay.

“Violent crimes, such as homicides, armed robberies, carjacking and thefts have increased throughout the country and occur in urban areas frequented by U.S. government personnel, day and night,” the advisory from August 2 reads.

“Criminals commonly travel in pairs on motorcycles to approach unsuspecting victims with a weapon and demand personal belongings. Armed criminals also target grocery stores, restaurants, financial centers, and small businesses, in which innocent bystanders are often victimized.”

--- With files from The Associated Press

RELATED IMAGES 1 / 2 Protester Matt McCabe holds a sign outside the National Rifle Association's headquarters building during a vigil for recent victims of gun violence, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) People walk next to graffiti with the image of Venezuelan Independence hero Simon Bolivar and a phrase that reads in Spanish "Gringo, respect us" in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)