Sources and symptoms

Paddock, who murdered 58 people and terrorized a city, was evil. That aside, killing rampages like what happened last week in Las Vegas cause society to question its gun culture and whether there are adequate rules and regulations on gun ownership and gun accessories. While past proposed changes to gun laws would not have hindered this specific murderer, much of the discussion focuses on regulating gun ownership in order to prevent further massacres. It’s a critically important discussion — but perhaps too narrow a focus. Ideally, laws reflect — not inform — a society, and therefore regulation alone may not put a stop to the killings if a culture of violence and dehumanization has developed, which seems to be the case. That is, of course, […]