Specifically... in the USA, people tend to value things higher than people. Much of life is centered on the idea of "what we OWN" and "our PROPERTY," and the sanctity of human life fades more into the background.
I think this is also why there is a lot of sill death in violent countries, or those with long histories of violence. Life is cheap.
it is deemed to be OK to shoot (at) someone who's trying to steal our stuff
Yeah, I don't think that is the culture here at all. People don't protect "stuff" as strongly. Maybe in the US there is a stronger identity based on what one owns?
Your reasoning aligns with what I said above. One of of my friends was living in Dubai and people would fly past in very expensive cars, with kids unrestrained in the back, just jumping around. What kind of parent doesn't put a seatbelt on their kid? One who thinks life is cheap and expects death I guess.