The problem is our culture of violence

Larry Land (“It’s a violence problem, not a gun problem,” Feb. 28) makes a valid point about the guns already being out there. However, when he talks about “honest citizens” vs. “criminals,” he ignores the fact that everyone who uses violence against others thinks, at that moment, that he or she is the “good guy.” All criminals feel that they are victims and are just righting some perceived wrong.

Look at those people in Oregon who felt morally justified to bring guns into a political argument; the father who shot his family because his family life was disappointing; a presidential candidate who feels comfortable saying, “I’d like to punch him in the face,” about someone who exercised his First Amendment right to protest.

Our problem is a culture of violence. We have to stop thinking that violence solves problems and look inside ourselves to realize that this is where most of our problems are, and attacking someone else, particularly with deadly force, isn’t going to fix it.

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 3:58 PM with the headline "The problem is our culture of violence."