We have chosen. This is why cars, sugar, beer and numerous other liberties are legal.
Free choice is woven into the fabric of America. With freedom of choice the collateral death will always be present.
I disagree it is a race to the bottom as we have made life much more livable than in 1787.
For now. But remember the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
There are probably quite a few Americans on HN that would like to see cars severely limited or otherwise much more difficult to obtain in favor of trains and public transport. Articles come up regularly about banning cars in cities.
Sugar taxes and sugar drink bans are regularly proposed in California.
Beer... yeah, I concede that will probably never be illegal again, though I could see tobacco becoming illegal some day seeing as the legal purchase age was just raised to 21.
Then why the constant attempts to invalidate the 2nd Amendment when gun death is one of the lowest causes of death?