After a decision by the Supreme Court affirming the right of individuals to own guns, then-Chicago Mayor Richard Daley sarcastically said, "Then why don't we do away with the court system and go back to the Old West, you have a gun and I have a gun and we'll settle it in the streets?" This is a common refrain heard in the gun debate. Gun control advocates fear -- and gun rights proponents sometimes hope -- the Second Amendment will transform our cities into modern-day versions of Dodge.
Yet this is all based on a widely shared misunderstanding of the Wild West. Frontier towns -- places like Tombstone, Deadwood, and Dodge -- actually had the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation.
In fact, many of those same cities have far less burdensome gun control today then they did back in the 1800s.
Guns were obviously widespread on the frontier. Out in the untamed wilderness, you needed a gun to be safe from bandits, natives, and wildlife. In the cities and towns of the West, however, the law often prohibited people from toting their guns around. A visitor arriving in Wichita, Kansas in 1873, the heart of the Wild West era, would have seen signs declaring, "Leave Your Revolvers At Police Headquarters, and Get a Check."
A check? That's right. When you entered a frontier town, you were legally required to leave your guns at the stables on the outskirts of town or drop them off with the sheriff, who would give you a token in exchange. You checked your guns then like you'd check your overcoat today at a Boston restaurant in winter. Visitors were welcome, but their guns were not.
In my new book, Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America, there's a photograph taken in Dodge City in 1879. Everything looks exactly as you'd imagine: wide, dusty road; clapboard and brick buildings; horse ties in front of the saloon. Yet right in the middle of the street is something you'd never expect. There's a huge wooden billboard announcing, "The Carrying of Firearms Strictly Prohibited."
While people were allowed to have guns at home for self-protection, frontier towns usually barred anyone but law enforcement from carrying guns in public.
When Dodge City residents organized their municipal government, do you know what the very first law they passed was? A gun control law. They declared that "any person or persons found carrying concealed weapons in the city of Dodge or violating the laws of the State shall be dealt with according to law." Many frontier towns, including Tombstone, Arizona--the site of the infamous "Shootout at the OK Corral"--also barred the carrying of guns openly.
Today in Tombstone, you don't even need a permit to carry around a firearm. Gun rights advocates are pushing lawmakers in state after state to do away with nearly all limits on the ability of people to have guns in public.
Like any law regulating things that are small and easy to conceal, the gun control of the Wild West wasn't always perfectly enforced. But statistics show that, next to drunk and disorderly conduct, the most common cause of arrest was illegally carrying a firearm. Sheriffs and marshals took gun control seriously.
Although some in the gun community insist that more guns equals less crime, in the Wild West they discovered that gun control can work. Gun violence in these towns was far more rare than we commonly imagine. Historians who've studied the numbers have determined that frontier towns averaged less than two murders a year. Granted, the population of these towns was small. Nevertheless, these were not places where duels at high noon were commonplace. In fact, they almost never occurred.
Why is our image of the Wild West so wrong? Largely for the same reason these towns adopted gun control laws in the first place: economic development. Residents wanted limits on guns in public because they wanted to attract businesspeople and civilized folk. What prospective storeowner was going to move to Deadwood if he was likely to be robbed when he brought his daily earnings to the bank?
Once the frontier was closed, those same towns glorified a supposedly violent past in order to attract tourists and the businesses to serve them. Gunfights were extremely rare in frontier towns, but these days you can see a reenactment of the one at the OK Corral several times a day. Don't forget to buy a souvenir!
The story of guns in America is far more complex and surprising than we've often been led to believe. We've always had a right to bear arms, but we've also always had gun control. Even in the Wild West, Americans balanced these two and enacted laws restricting guns in order to promote public safety. Why should it be so hard to do the same today?
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Please do people a favor, if your going to write a coluum, maybe it would be prudent to give what your writing more thought.
And, guess what. TODAY, the crime rate in Tombstone, and AZ in general is a LOT lower than it was during "old west" days.
A hundred years from now Winklers followers will write that in 2007, DC and Chicago there were very strict gun laws; ignoring the fact that the SCOTUS ruled them Unconstitutional to justify future gun law.
Which is a freshening perspective to read on Huffington Post when it comes to guns.
Unlike today where criminals are afforded more rights that law abiding citizens - Sheriff Earp could and DID uphold the law, if you messed up in Dodge City - HE dealt with you. Now if a criminal robs you the ACLU , defense lawyers, shrinks that blame the victim [ cause they drive a good car - or have a ring - or a wallet etc ] that the criminal thinks should belong to them-- the criminal gets off scot free and IF the law abiding citizen survives the attack - to say the least their insurance goes up , they never get their stuff back .
We live in a crime ridden society - and those of you that fell to understand that might one day find out the hard way -- ME ? Esp if my granddaughters are with me - well lets just say I am NOT a victim kinda gal.
Criminals own more guns in this country than law abiding citizens - your beef with the NRA - only shows your lack of knowlegde. As far as the numbers in prison -- IF --- IF -- we had a better system - there would be more in jail
And I would not need to pack everytime I leave my house
In each criminal/victim encounter the non-cop victim is ALWAYS there, CIVILIAN cops virtually NEVER arrives in time to even arrest a suspect, much less use their guns.
But there I go using facts instead of the Anti-Freedom bigot emotions again.
The vast majority of law enforcement officers retire without EVER using their gun outside of the very RARE training session. This is because cops seldom arrive "on scene" until the scene is safe and secure.
Yes, the misreading of the SECOND AMENDMENT (cue celestial music & Charlton Heston voiceover) is the holiest of holies to these folk, don'teventhinkaboutit. Yet, when the Patriot Act was first being discussed (directly contradicting the Fourth Amendment), these same people had no problem. Don't wanna bother with a warrant? No prob. Search & seizure with NO grounds? Gotcha covered. Lodging of military without your permission? What are you, a Commie? Why was this no problem? Because the two Houses of Congress passed it. So, it was ok, even if unConstitutional.
It's only when when they think the SECOND AMENDMENT (cue) is somehow in danger they suddenly are concerned with that "GD piece of paper".
Folks, Prof. Winkler wrote a piece about actual gun laws in "The Old West" (aka "Wild West"), NOT legislation to take away your precious hand guns. Try loosening that grip on your pistols & try a tighter grip on reality.
http://tinyurl.com/4k346he
Anyway, proximity doesn't sell gun ownership so well in my estimation. How do you defend yourself from stray bullets? Do you combat a drive-by with another drive-by?
The police seldom arrive in time to even arrest a suspect, much less USE their guns.
But, if a police officer actually NEEDED a gun for a call, doesn't logic suggest that the victim the call was made FOR, needed a gun as well?
Are "Drive-bys" ILLEGAL? How do you emote that restricting the Freedom of the LAW-ABIDING, will stop CRIMINALS?
You may have missed the slight tone of sarcasm in GNBanner's post.
I KNOW! This should be easy (if it were TRUE anyway): Name the U.S. cities, where violent crime rates have skyrocketed with the reduction of gun control laws and restrictions. (That's right, you CAN'T.)
Most states do not allow anyone to conceal carry in their state without a recognized permit. Since some municipalities in the 19th Century did not allow concealed carry, and there was no state permit system, no one in some 19th Century municipalities could carry. Even if a sheriff was subjective about enforcing the law, it's still a recognized authority deciding who shall and who shall not.
Interesting article.
simple..
the gun control advocates have never met a gun ban they didn't like...
See: Watson v. Stone, 4 So.2d 700, 703 (Fla. 1941)
And a predominance of court opinion isn't nearly the same thing as what laws were enforced, so I hardly see what your evidence is. And you say a "majority"? So what. That still implies a division. Who was dissenting, and how well?
Fact: Concealed carry holders are 74 TIMES more law abiding than the general public
Fact: If all qualified people carried a gun crime would drop 98%
Based on Florida stats see Howard Nemerov
See also Tampa Tribune editorial "Tough Crime Laws Work"
"The reality is gun rights and tough on crime laws...have resulted in a safer, more civilized society."
also a true ak47 is full auto and automatic weapons are extremely difficult to get legally, and very expensive. And if anyone wants to say no there not a semi auto is what is commonly refered to as auto on news. Semi auto guns are no faster than revolvers look up jerry miculek world record six shots reload six shot in under 3 seconds.