While it is largely mythical, the iconic gunfighter of the old west and his outlaw counterpart has some grounding in reality. There was a time when violent confrontations in frontier environments were fairly common. The wild west was a wild place because there were only a few guns. Let us explain.
At the time, the revolving pistol was still a novelty- and few people could afford to own one. The simultaneous presence and rarity made gunfights common. This is because those who had a handgun felt confident that few if anyone else had one.
If the outlaw striding into the saloon thought every barmaid and farmhand was packing a Colt .45, he would be slow to threaten the barman with his. The world of the gunfighter was a world where handguns were rare and novel. The same logic holds true in today’s crime-ridden ghettos since most low rent thugs can’t afford a gun.
Now contrast these scenes with places like a modern gun range, rural communities, and any number of Texas neighborhoods. These are places where civility reigns. This is especially true of the gun range because there- everyone knows that everyone is packing.
The thing is, we no longer have the ability to get rid of guns. Guns can be made using shop tools in an afternoon. This means, when no one is packing- anyone can terrorize everyone else. But when everyone is packing, everyone is pacified.
Well, there good news. More people are packing.
Here’s One America News with more.
