I was looking for a little ammunition and I was a bit curious as to what — if any- rifles would be available at the Gun show this year. The truth is that they had a wide assortment, a lot of old ‘collectable’ pieces and some new hunting rifles and shotguns… even a few pistols from the 1860’s were on display. If you are familiar with a ‘Broom handle’ gun from the turn of the 1900’s (made better known by the last Sherlock Holmes movie)… there were even a few of these. Prices overall were high, but understandable given the high demand.
Contrary to what you might see at elbow throwing Costco or at Target’s grab bag… people at the gun show were polite, courteous and respectful and open to conversation. This stirred a question in my mind… Were these just good people or did the fact that various guns were hanging about keep them well mannered? Pardner, it was probably a little of both.
So, I decided to do a little scanning of history and it seems that the most violent and dangerous places on earth were the cities where existing prohibitions against self defense made life difficult for the common person. This encouraged opportunistic groups of men to prey on the unarmed. After a time folks looked for ways to even the odds, firearms were called an ‘equalizer” a way one person could defend themselves from multiple or stronger assailants. Women today are the biggest growing group purchasing handguns… one little lady can make a mess out of a few men attempting to do dastardly things to her person!
I also ran across a quote by Mark Twain that raised a smile:
“I have carried a revolver; lots of us do, but they are the most innocent things in the world.” — Mark Twain
It doesn’t take a genius to see where the most dangerous places in America exist; they are where firearms are most restricted.
So, was it really safer in the old west? I think so… when the bad guys have to worry about whether or not you are armed… bad things just don’t happen as much. So, if we are trying to make American’s ‘safer’, then the past can give us a suggestion… I mean we are trying to make people safer, aren’t we?