Just a personal opinion, but I think it has deeper roots than simply being coddled and told "you're special" all the time. People have been coddled in every generation. I'm not discounting that position as it definitely has its place in the discussion. What I think is an equally important ingredient in the mixture is that people simply are not taught the sanctity/value of human life anymore. Everything from the news, movies, television, music, video games, books, etc. seemingly ignores the fragility and beauty of human life.
Couple the lack of value for human life with the narcissism that is rampant in the majority of today's culture and you have a dangerous cocktail. It's all about me and my desires....whether those desires are noble or ignoble.
Granted, the vast majority of people in the world have a natural buffer between anger and action, and can control (to some extent) their response to slight or disappointment, but those that do not have such a buffer are dangerous. Just take 30 minutes and peruse LiveLeak. Watch all the videos of teens videoing people beating the shit out of one another while those videoing the carnage are either cheering or laughing....and I'm not talking simple wrestling or fist fights here.....I'm talking beat downs. The proliferation of media that seemingly glorifies or endorses this behavior leads to a weakening of inhibition regarding such actions. Sure, there were fights when I grew up, but not to level of brutality you see. This type of behavior simply "desensitizes" people to violence.
It breaks my heart to see this crap go on. I'm not so knee-jerk to think it is a firearms issue. To me, attacking guns is the pussy way out. All that position does is show me that those who want to end/heavily regulate gun ownership either cannot see the problem, or more likely, have no solution for the real problem and they think that "at least doing something" is important......even if that "something" yields little to no result. The "end/heavily regulate gun ownership" position deals with the fruit.....not the root. Thinking that removing guns will end all violent behavior is the same as thinking that plucking all the apples from a tree will cause the tree to no longer bear fruit. If you want an apple tree to stop bearing fruit, attack the root system.