We often compare a place with a history of extreme violence with Dodge, a city at the edge of the cattle trail that we associate with drunken cowboys—who are flush with cash and looking for whisky, women, poker and a good gunfight. Actually, as the press has pointed out, Dodge City was tamed early on by very strict gun laws. When you came into town, you hung your six-shooter on a peg. Those that didn’t were fair game for the local sheriffs.
Here at Stevieslaw, we were curious what Americans might make of this, so we posed four possibilities and allowed for a vote. The choices were:
1. Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson were lily-livered liberal dupes who disrespected the American way.
2. The Texas Board of Education has fallen down on its job of rewriting the history of Dodge City.
3. Sure, that was true in the 1880’s, but that was long before the 2nd Amendment was ratified.
4. Sensible gun laws save lives.
The general public voted overwhelmingly (87%) for number 4. The Republican candidates for President were also nearly unanimous in their choice, with all but one voting for number 3. The exception, Donald Trump, went with number 1, because in his words—“That Wyatt Earp was a real loser.”
Actually, with the NRA in firm control of our political process, we all are the real losers.