California Rifle & Pistol Association Publishes Research Piece: Did the Old West Really Have More Gun Control than We Do?

FULLERTON, Calif., March 16, 2018 -- The California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA) recently released a research article by Emmy® Award winning film producer and reporter, Dan Gifford, detailing the myths and facts of gun control in the 19^th century American West – and comparing those myths and facts to today’s environment.

Gifford’s article asserts that the legend of gun control in the American West is a fictional story being used by gun-ban lobbyists in an attempt to falsely persuade the American public that restrictive gun laws date back to the Old West in the 19^th century.

The article, published in  the March edition of The Firing Line Magazine, claims that the stories of gun ban laws in Old West towns such as Tombstone and Dodge City are just the latest attempt by the anti-gun lobby to rationalize the restriction of a Constitutional right. According to CRPA Executive Director Rick Travis, “Gun ban lobbyists are using this false narrative to lull the public into complacency as they erode our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.”

“Did the Wild West Really Have More Gun Control Than We Do clearly depicts the misinterpretation of the Old West by the anti-gun groups. Towns with supposed gun control ordinances only confiscated or required guns to be turned in if the town-goer was not a part of a criminal gang running the towns. Anti-carry ordinances were selective and were rarely enforced,” continued Travis.

While gun-ban lobbyists have continued to ignore historical evidence proving that most people in the Old West were armed, CRPA continues to fight for Second Amendment rights as guaranteed by our Constitution.

“Peddling the myth of an unarmed Old West and portraying real-life criminals as law-abiding citizens is dishonest. History cannot be rewritten to service the gun ban lobby’s latest hatchet job,” concluded Travis.

The article, originally published in CRPA’s monthly publication The Firing Line Magazine can be read on the organization’s web site https://www.crpa.org/crpa-news/wild-west-really-gun-control/.

California Rifle & Pistol Association is a non-profit association that advocates for the right to choose to own firearms for sport or self-defense on behalf of its tens of thousands of members and donors, and the millions who want that choice.

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