Special to L. Neil Smith's The Libertarian Enterprise

If only one child's life can be saved… it will all be worth it… right?

In light of the recent and horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France there must be something done immediately to eliminate the deadly weapon utilized from the streets of the United States, no, the world. This depraved person used a large high speed multi-ton truck to kill and injure over a hundred innocent people who had gathered to celebrate. The driver, who was shot and killed by Police armed with guns, was most likely just a mentally deranged man of no particular religious or political belief who just need a hug and better access to mental health care. It was the trucks fault after all, not the human behind the wheel.

This truck most likely was the feared automatic transmission style requiring no effort and shifts gears and accelerates with a single push of the accelerator. Or, perhaps, it was a semi-auto transmission which is almost as bad because it still makes it far too easy to accelerate through a crowd with the mere push of a paddle while holding the accelerator. I drove one of these trucks once years ago and I was shocked and traumatized by the loud thunderous roar and the disgusting black smoke that poured from the engine like some demon from hell. I am not sure to this day that I have ever really ever recovered from the PTSD I suffer from that experience and still cringe in fear every time I see an 18 wheeler drive within a mile of me.

According to the Institute for Highway Safety statistics there were 3660 people who died in large truck crashes in 2014 in the US alone! The number of people who died in large truck crashes was 16 percent higher in 2014 than in 2009, when it was lower than at any year since the collection of fatal crash data began in 1975. According to the Centers for Disease Control, In 2013 alone, 4,735 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States. This averages to one crash-related pedestrian death every 2 hours. Additionally, more than 150,000 pedestrians were treated in emergency departments for non- fatal crash-related injuries in 2013. Pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely than passenger vehicle occupants to be killed in a car crash on each trip. These statistics speak for themselves that we as conscious humans must work tirelessly to resolve the problem of these weapons being readily available on the streets of our countries. In fact, it is easier for a child to get their hands on a large truck than a computer or a book, or even to watch porn on the internet here in the United States.

With statistics like those I just spoke about where, I ask you, where is the outcry and the protests for tighter restrictions, licensing, and background checks on these multi-ton weapons that kill and injure innocent people every day around the world? Oh that's right, they are licensed, background checked, and restricted already… But, we will still need to do more.

Since there is a constitutional right of freedom of movement here in the US we cannot outright ban these weapons. The constitution, after all, is such an outdated document that we are sure that the founding fathers never envisioned technology so far from the horse and buggy or how wide spread its use has become in the world. There is such a proliferation of cars and trucks and motorcycles capable of such great speed and transport of great weights that it would boggle the minds of the fine men that penned the original constitution. We must find a way to change or remove this bothersome and dangerous language from our constitution in the name of progress, security, and safety no matter what. Such weapons in the hands of regular citizens is ridiculous. Besides, regular folks can get just around fine on bicycles and horses and mules anyway. One progressive benefit of getting rid of these weapons… think of the massive reduction in greenhouse gasses, which will help save the planet! I hear that scientists are even working on finding a way to harvest the methane emissions of animals to help stop climate change that will kill us all next year! We can, however, place many common sense restrictions on the use and availability of these horrific machines.

Here are some common sense measures our lawmakers need to take right away to make us all feel happy and loved outside of our safe spaces:

Only a Federal, State, County, or Municipal government agency shall possess or own any vehicle over 2 tons or having more than 2 axles or are capable of holding more than 1 liter of fuel. Vehicles weighing between 1 and 2 tons shall have a top speed of no more than 5 MPH.

Drivers of vehicles over 2 tons or have more than 2 axles or holding more than 1 liter of fuel shall only be operated by professional drivers who are specially trained by an approved anti-terror operators course, DHS screened with a full scope background check, DMV tested and licensed, and shall be in the direct employ of a Federal, State, County, or Municipal government agency.

Eliminate the private sale loophole that allows anyone to buy a truck or car without screening.

Outlaw things that LOOK like heavy type trucks. Anything from Hot Wheels to drawings of trucks needs to be banned and taken away immediately. There will be no adding of any parts to non-heavy vehicles either like tow hitches or big wagon wheel looking hoopty rims because they sorta LOOK big like a truck wheel so they are bad as well.

Create new high taxes on fuel, tires, miles traveled, and parts for cars and trucks. Increase tariffs to 5000% as well on non US manufactured vehicle imports to slow the influence from foreign weapons makers. This new funding will go into the state and federal general funds to pay for awareness and enforcement measures and a 50 year study of the impact that cars and trucks have had on world peace and hunger. This will also discourage people from wanting to buy or use these weapons of terrorism and war by pricing them out of the hands of the 99%.

We should also be limiting the fuel these weapons of mass destruction will hold regardless of size. No ordinary citizen needs to be able to go more than a few hundred yards without refueling. This way less people can be killed in one fueling so no ordinary person will be able to have a vehicle with more than a 1 liter capacity. If you should happen to already own a vehicle that holds more than 1 liter or goes more than 1 mile on a single tank of fuel you will need to permanently and irreversible modify it or turn it over to the DMV for immediate destruction, sorry if you paid a lot of money for it but this is for the good of all human kind remember? Let‘s not forget that you should have to be registered and background checked every time you buy fuel to insure that you are not a terrorist. Perhaps a 72 hour waiting period at the pump as well. Oh, we will need to restrict gas cans as well so that the bad guys cannot refuel themselves or store dangerous quantities of fuel. No-fly no-buy and all that right?

Fork lifts will need to be heavily restricted, we would not want to make reloading these heavy weapons easier…

Rental trucks will be limited access and only available to professional drivers that have passed a DHS screening and file a comprehensive drive plan no less than 14 business days prior to rental. Ordinary people have no reason to rent a truck, they can move their homes or other goods with a Prius as these are much less dangerous weapons or perhaps use pack mules to be more environmentally friendly.

Also positive electronic ignition interlock systems utilizing bio- metrics should be installed to insure that any vehicular weapon cannot be utilized by anyone other than the authorized owner/operators of that vehicle be it a Prius or an 18 wheeler.

There will also need to be micro-stamping of the exterior for positive identification of any object that weapon hits or even touches by authorities. Perhaps even some form of chemical marker added to the fuel to allow identification of the vehicle by its exhaust gasses from sensors to be placed all over the roads in some multi-billion dollar contract awarded to the brother-in-law of the governor, friends of congressmen who pass the funding, and the donors of the Clinton Foundation…

Oh, and we need prop 666 in California that will require signs to be posted every 100 feet on any drivable surface both public or private that states “This area contains vehicles that are known to the State of California to cause mass destruction, death, injury, and reproductive harm to all people and property within 500 yards of this sign” at the expense of the people, probably by adding another 10% sales tax on anything sold, a breathing tax per cubic liter on the air you breathe, and your retirement funds.

Oh, and of course Law Enforcement, Congress, and senior executive staff members will be exempt from any of these regulations and can continue to do any thing they want as always without fear of repercussion of the laws enacted.

So, I wonder if this incident will shut up the idiots who argue when we compare guns to vehicles in terms of deadly consequences? While we try to logically explain that it is the evil within men, deadly religious fanatic teachings, and the decline of society with respect for law and life that is the problem.

Nah, I doubt it because it is about feelings not intelligence or logic right?