In order to legally drive I had to get a driver’s license. To get one, I had to be 15 or older, pass a vision exam and take a driver’s test. The license also served as an identity card. I had to carry it with me at all times because if an Officer of the Law asked to see the license, I was required to produce it.  Today, some 75 years later, my license can be revoked if I no longer meet driving standards. Every driver has to be licensed even if he/she does not own the vehicle.

When I purchased my first car, a used 1941 two-door Chevy, I had to be of age and meet certain physical, mental, legal and other standards in order to drive it. They were imposed to help ensure that I would not engage in activities that could harm others. The law also required that I get insurance. That guaranteed that if I got into an accident that harmed someone, they could be compensated. The registration certificate identified me as the car’s owner along with its vehicle identification number (vin) and the license plate number The registration was updated annually after the car was inspected and I paid the license and insurance fees and the taxes. When I sold the car the license plate was changed and its ownership was transferred to the new owner.

“Guns”
I find myself wondering, why aren’t “guns” treated in a similar way to vehicles? Legislation and licensing with the objective of keeping of track of weapons capable of mass-killings, their owners and users, and the death, destruction and harm that they can cause, could make it possible to limit some of the damage those weapons cause and to hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions. Recently there has been a significant increase in civilian mass killings. Not only have the perpetrators used assault weapons but, in the US, the UK, France, Germany and Canada, vehicles have also been used as weapons.

Continue reading “Can We Make Mass-Killings Less Likely?” →