Amnesty International: US is in violation of international human rights law by not passing stronger gun control

Brett T. | 6:45 PM on September 13, 2018

Kind of like the ACLU or the Southern Poverty Law Center, Amnesty International used to be a respected name and performed an important function: pressuring governments to free political prisoners.

But now, according to The Truth About Guns, Amnesty International is declaring gun violence in America a human rights crisis.

Amnesty International: America's lack of sufficient gun control constitutes a human rights crisis. https://t.co/CHRoapbtLN

— The Truth About Guns (@guntruth) September 13, 2018

Dan Zimmerman took a look at a new Amnesty International report:

“The USA is failing to protect individuals and communities most at risk of gun violence, in violation of international human rights law,” Amnesty argues. “The right to live free from violence, discrimination and fear has been superseded by a sense of entitlement to own a practically unlimited array of deadly weapons.”

To address the crisis of gun homicide, suicide and injury that leaves about 38,000 Americans dead and 116,000 wounded each year, Amnesty recommends the US pass a sweeping set of gun control measures, including universal background checks, the requirement of a valid license to buy a gun, no gun purchases for those under 21, a ban on certain military-style weapons and ammunition, and the creation of a digitized national gun registry.

So, by not passing more gun control laws, the United States government is denying its citizens the right to live free from violence in violation of international human rights law.