We are all familiar with the story of the "old, wild, wild west" where lawless was governed by the gun. Many movies were made about that period of time with the fast draw show downs where the quickest draw survived. Many of the old stories have proved not to be true and we know from research that many of the hand guns used in those days were not so accurate and ammunition was unreliable.
But we do know because of lawlessness, guns were available and carried every where. But even so, that time long ago, morals had a meaning and people understood the violence had to be checked. So there were cities and town that forbid the carry of guns in town and the weapons had to be checked at the sheriff's office or some other place for security and could not be carried while in town. In other words weapons were banned in certain places. There was no NRA or gun lobby to complain that guns do not kill people. Law enforcement knew it was the people behind the gun so the guns were banned in certain towns.
The people also had another moral code they lived by. If one killed another who was not armed or was shot in the back, the shooter was presumed guilty. It was another way to deal with gun violence and those who use guns to harm others. Weapons used today in gun violence are of course more lethal and can inflict more damage in a shorter period of time than in the old west days but old west morals concerning gun violence is in short supply today.
Western movies are popular because there is always a hero who takes down the bad guy. But real life has a shortage of good guys who are willing to stand up, be counted and insist on banning the weapons of war that do not belong on the streets of America. We, in the present age, could learn a little bit from our past.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
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