[rayiner]

America has had a “culture of firearms” for pretty much its entire history, but mass shootings are a relatively recent phenomenon. Indeed, that culture has faded as urbanization has taken hold: the percentage of households with guns is significantly smaller today than even the 1990s, much less the 1960s.

The “culture of firearms” isn’t what changed. It was all the other cultural and technological changes: destruction of the American family, internet that allows dangerous subcultures to communicate, media that publicizes mass shooters, etc.

[tptacek]

America hasn't had a culture of universal personal ownership of high-capacity semi-automatic long guns for it's entire history, or really even a significant portion of its entire history. The culture of firearms has absolutely changed, markedly, within our own lifetimes.