The Wild West wasn’t the Wild
West. Most “Wild West” towns had very strict gun laws. So strict, in fact, that
you couldn’t even walk into town with a gun on your person. As such, some of these towns, like Tombstone,
Deadwood, and Dodge, had surprisingly low murder rates, two murders a year
perhaps. Of course one has to remember that the populations of these towns were
fairly small, but the idea of gun control was still heavily enforced. 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.[1]
The image of the firearm being
the trusty tool of the American west is a false one, created by Hollywood and
purveyors of “the image of the Wild West” for profit through tourism and less
than creative screen writing. The lone
American Cowboy bravely defending the honor of a fair maiden in the dusty
streets is complete bunk and as likely as Knights of old fighting dragons with
lances and magic swords. Yet, somehow, this image persists and some Americans
believe that carrying a pistol on their hip as they order a chicken sandwich at
a fast food restaurant is their “right”. The pistol, six guns, what have you, was
indeed a tool of necessity, but its use and how they were displayed was
strictly controlled. Toting a gun around for “safety” is an antiquated, and
mostly imagined, notion of a bygone era.
Responsible gun control is our right, as evidenced by
the “wild” West towns that encouraged and mandated strict gun controls. They
knew that a civilized society had no need to be armed to the teeth to
accomplish their daily tasks. The laws of the Wild West towns showed their
practicality and respect for public safety. It’s amazing to me that those lawmakers of the
past had more respect for their constituents than the lawmakers of today. Really? Go ahead and get a silencer? What…?
Who wants that? What segment of the American population was petitioning
Congress to loosen silencer restrictions? Or were clamoring to let Mentally Ill
persons purchase firearms? Was that a thing I missed?
The Wild West towns certainly
never had access to the fire power we have today; but no one was toting a Gatling
gun through the streets, or pulling cannon around in a wagon, it wouldn’t have
made any sense to those Old Western folks for a common person to have access to
such high powered weapons of warfare. I
don’t believe they would have stood up for that “right” because it’s dumb, and
they were far more practical than we seem to be. Somehow, having access to
military style weaponry, ammunition and accoutrements today is totally fine and
is in the perceived interest of public safety.
I’m with the Wild West on this
one. You’re a jackass if you think you need an AR-15, M-16, or other high
powered weapon for “home protection” or, “hunting”. The Zombie Apocalypse, yeah, that’s TV and
not going to happen. The likelihood of the fabric of society falling apart to
such an extent that we’re shooting each other in the streets over water rights
is incredibly mind-boggling slim. Crime
is a reality, there’s no denying that, but maybe with some common sense gun
controls, like they had in the Wild West, crime can be better handled or
contained to create confidence in public safety.
I’m disgusted by the Americans
who trot out the 2nd Amendment to hide behind and say they will not
accept any limitations on their “right” to bear arms. If Wyatt Earp was here,
he’d tell you to turn those guns in at the Sheriff’s office and then have a
good time in town, but if you kept any weapons on your person, he’d bash your
damn head in and throw your dumb ass in the town jail. He was interested in the
safety of the townspeople in general over your perceived threats to your personal
safety.
Yet, we as a people have decided
imagined threats to our personal safety somehow overrode the general safety of
the public. Somehow, an individual’s right to obtain as many high powered
military style weapons is totally cool, in case of the Apocalypse of course, or
to hunt those vicious, blood thirsty deer with their shoulder mounted .50
caliber machine guns. We’ve let the “gun
nuts” intimidate legislation and the calmer, practical approaches to gun
control. That has to stop.
I don’t much care for guns. I
never really have. I’ve written to my representatives over and over again about
common sense gun control. I have watched as efforts to do anything, even talk
about gun control, slowly fizzle into the backdrop of “politics as usual” and I’m
tired of it. I suggest we as the people follow the example of our “Wild West” forbearers
and tell the NRA and whomever they support that we no longer give a shit about
their influence nor are we afraid of them or their alleged lobbying power. We
don’t want your guns in town.
If you as a member of Congress
have received donations from the NRA or voted to loosen the restrictions on
assault weapons, you’re out. We’re done with you because America has no need
for your slippery conscience or indiscriminate pandering to a group of gun
toting jack holes. The consciences of America will eventually get you. We will
no longer tolerate your allegiance to a gun lobby over your constitutional duty
to protect the citizenry from public safety threats.
I’m tired of writing the same thing after every tragedy this country has
to bear. It’s simply time to have the conversation, to come up with a plan to
protect the people from these tragedies. It is the time damn it. Don’t you dare
change the subject into hotel safety requirements. That’s cowardice. Deal with the real issue, gun control. If it was good enough for Tombstone, it’s good
enough for Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and every
city in between. Do the just thing.
[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-winkler/did-the-wild-west-have-mo_b_956035.html
Adam Winkler Professor of Law UCLA
No comments:
Post a Comment