Is This the Culture We Want?

Nine more Connecticut families now have to feel the devastation of gun violence in the workplace. A worker at the Hartford Distributors plant in Manchester went on a rampage and killed eight fellow employees and then himself. The killings took place after a disciplinary hearing in which the shooter, 34-year-old Omar Thornton, resigned from the company. Resignation was the alternative he was offered to termination. During the hearing, Thornton was confronted with videos showing that he was stealing from his employer, a distributor of beer and wine products.

We feel deeply for the friends and families of the victims. But as a society we have come to accept these shootings almost as a normal course of events. Instead, we should be asking ourselves, "Is this the culture we want?"

These mass shootings are met with acceptance and resignation. They should be sparking a concerned dialogue about prevention. Yet the only prevention talk we ever hear is from the gun lobby to arm more people. Are we really so deadened to the craven ideology of any gun, any time, any place?

The gun culture has been energized by recent Supreme Court rulings affirming the right of an individual to possess a gun in their home for protection. But let us not forget that every year in this country guns kill more than 30,000 people. An additional 70,000 people are shot and injured, leaving physical and emotional scars that can last a lifetime. Every year more than 350,000 people are victims of armed robbery or aggravated assault with a firearm and countless others are threatened and intimidated with guns.

Friends and family members of the shooter, Omar Thornton have supported him as a good, quiet, person who has never had trouble with the law. That seems to be true. But a review of his Facebook page also shows that he was an avid fan of a local gun shop and that he was immersed in the gun culture.

It is this culture of guns that, if we sit back complacently while one mass shooting after another occurs, will give a rationale to people like Omar to take this option.

The mother of Omar's girlfriend said during an interview with reporters, "We knew he had a pistol permit. He had pistols because he was taking my daughter to shoot at the range, for her own protection and this is what happened." But, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, a gun in the home is more likely to be used against friends, family, and members of the household…then it is against an intruder.

The gun culture is becoming more visible in many ways. Gunowners are carrying guns openly at presidential appearances, at candidate rallies, at Starbucks…

"Is this the culture we want?"