Musings: Let's save lives with laws for guns and drivers

As I approach Sept. 11, many feelings come over me. I did not know anyone killed in the 2001 terrorist attack, but I share in the national grief as if something happened to my family.

I know 2,977 families were impacted and more continue to suffer long-term effects. I can only begin to imagine each family’s ongoing suffering. Yet, there is little any of us can do to prevent subsequent deaths or lessen the suffering of survivors and their families.

What terrifies me, however, is that most of us are inured to over 80,000 individuals and their families being devastated by the effects of the death of a family member from a gunshot or being hit by an automobile every year. A gun or car is under the control of a person who may be negligent or, at worst, guilty of disregarding the safety of others. It may also be the result of a failure in automotive engineering.

Although we cannot eliminate all the 80,000 deaths, it is certainly within our ability to drastically reduce the number. The cost of these interventions will not approach the trillions of dollars we have spent and are spending to prevent a recurrence of 9/11.

New cars can have integrated front- and rear-facing cameras that record their speed and driving conditions in 15-minute loops, and dangerous drivers can be required to retrofit their cars with these devices. These cameras can be programmed to send reports of dangerous practices to authorities capable of enforcing laws that ensure our safety on U.S. roadways.

Likewise, every gun and its owner should be licensed and insured like a vehicle and its drivers. Certainly, all gun owners should pass minimum evaluations of training for their safety and the safety of others.

The enforcement of our traffic laws and transfer of similar safety standards to gun owners would dramatically reduce the nation’s annual carnage. As we approach 9/11, our nation should consider this: “What is a human life worth?”

— Tim Kunz, Baldwin