Thanks theirontower, and welcome to the Cellar.
To your point of Mano on Mano, to settle a dispute with the other guy. There is a culture that's developed, and spreading, where losing a fight is unacceptable. A loser is a social pariah, shun by the entire peer group. It's better to kill, or die, than lose.
I firmly believe this attitude (Gangsta) is driving the increase in violence with weapons. I also believe it's a damn shame.