The US leaders must act in tune with their obligations of protecting civilians from violent and horrendous but preventable attacks, which are the direct result of insufficient control of firearms, Al Hussein said in a communiqué.
From his office in Geneva, the UN official warned that it is hard to find a rational justification to explain how easily people have access to weapons, including assault rifles, regardless of whether they have criminal records, use drugs, have committed domestic violence, suffer from mental diseases or have direct contact with national and foreign extremists.
Al Hussein's statements are a reaction to the murders of 50 people on Sunday night in Orlando, Florida, by one man, who also injured more than 50 people.
How many mass murders of children in schools, workmates, Afro-Americans in a church and attacks like those perpetrated against the talented musician Christina Grimmie or the politician Gabrielle Giffords will have to be carried out for the United States to take a strong regulation of weapons, wondered the UN official, who added that irresponsible propaganda suggests that firearms make society more secure, while all evidence proves otherwise.
According to him, the availability of weapons leaves little room between murderous impulses and the actions that cause deaths.
The price paid by the vulnerable communities and minorities, who are already suffering many prejudices, is very high, Al Hussein noted.
According to the UN high commissioner for Human Rights, there are many examples of countries that by controlling the acquisition and use of firearms succeeded in reducing violent crimes significantly.
However, in the United States, there are hundreds of millions of weapons in circulation and every year, thousands of people are killed or injured by them, he lamented.
Al Hussein expressed concern about the danger that the Orlando massacre, the most lethal in the country's recent history, will trigger homophobic and Islamophobic sentiments.
I urge all in the United States to align with the common cause of strengthening the respect for the human rights of all, after the horrendous incident," he called.
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