Letter: Task force needed to study causes, solutions

Again. Another senseless mass shooting. Among modern industrialized nations, only the United States endures the current public health epidemic of firearm assisted injury and death.

In 2020, over 41,000 people were shot to death in the U.S., gun deaths have now surpassed auto accidents as the leading cause of death in our children. We want our families to be safe and live in a country where they do not have to fear some crazed shooter.

We all want to stop avoidable accidental firearm injuries. Only by studying the epidemiology of firearm morbidity and mortality as any other public health issue, will we decrease firearm injury and associated mortality.

The automobile industry, collaborating with the government, utilizes safety research to make our cars and travel much safer. Anti-lock brakes, seat belts and crumple technology save lives daily. All vehicles are registered and tracked with vehicle identification numbers - so why not firearms? Operators are licensed, with mandatory periodic training.

The recent federal legislation was a good start, but we need universal background checks on all gun purchases, safe storage (Ethan's law) regulations and a ban on assault type rifles. A majority of Americans favor these sensible solutions. It is time for Congress to act on these common-sense solutions. Let's start here.

There is much more to this multifaceted issue. What motivates someone to stalk total strangers with an assault rifle? Hatred, racism and political polarization are certainly fueling the violence. It is time for a bipartisan federal task force to examine this national epidemic of firearm violence - to study the root causes and approach it as any other national epidemic.

By applying a comprehensive scientific approach will we reduce our nation's shameful gun violence epidemic. We must be bipartisan; we must all be Americans first. We must act.

Charles Nozicka

Libertyville