Once again, shots rang out in downtown Natchez over the weekend. This time the dispute apparently came after a party at the Natchez Convention Center.

And, like so many other such shootings, police believe the dispute spawned by the ugly side of having too much alcohol.

Fortunately in this case, the shooting at midnight Saturday appeared to have only injured a victim, not killed him.

Police indicate the shooter fire at a drunken man who had assaulted her. We don’t know the details of the assault, but we know that when alcohol is taken in excess, people do stupid things and sometimes the results are deadly.

Our community has far too much drinking and far too many shootings.

Clearly, not all events at which alcohol is served end with violence, but within the last year even law enforcement officers who were off-duty and attending an after-wedding party got caught up in such a melee.

Natchez has a problem — too much drinking. And that problem ultimately spawns other issues, from domestic violence, bar fights and even shootings.

Last weekend’s shooting was yet another wake-up call for the community.

The question is: Will we collectively heed the call, curb our drinking and control ourselves in public better?