Just curious. What do RKBA gun enthusiasts say about Wyatt Earp and his gun ban in tombstone?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

22. Just my opinions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyatt_Earp
I happen to like Wyatt. I believe he was an interesting personality. During the 19th century many areas grew rather quickly and various factions developed in many areas with an interest in profiting from the growth. In many places some factions developed hostilities for others.

This part of history is among a few of the more romantic ideals related to pro-RKBA thinking. Since frontier areas were sometimes understaffed with law enforcement, there was a strong motivation to be prepared for self-defense. Some accounts of conflicts have been romanticized into good v evil stories.

Wyatt was a business man. Among the investments popular at the time were saloons, mines, brothels and cattle. Sheriff Shibell appointed Wyatt Deputy Sheriff for the area including Tombstone, which he held for about 3 months. Doesn't sound like much but that position was worth about $950,000 a year in today's dollars. The Clantons and McLaurys were regarded as outlaws. Their visits to town were marked by conflicts and violence. People gravitated to towns because of profit and the protection of the law. Violence would often interfere with folks spending their money which meant Wyatt would lose money.

In my opinion, the outlaw cowboy involvement in the nighttime robbery and murders on a stagecoach on March 15, 1881 cemented their position as hostile enemies of the Earps on a personal level. The coach was carrying silver worth over $600,000 in today's dollars and with the Earps mining investments, such threats can't be ignored.

"During the hearing into the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Wyatt testified that he offered the US$3,600 in Wells Fargo reward money ($1,200 per robber) to Ike Clanton and Frank McLaury in return for information about the identities of the three robbers. Wyatt testified that he had other motives for his plan as well: he hoped that arresting the murderers would boost his chances for election as Cochise County sheriff."

Make no mistake, business men of the time having an interest in law and justice was not only righteous but downright profitable. You didn't have to be a good shot as a gunfighter to be lawman but you did stand a better chance of living longer if you were.

The law against firearms carry within town limits provided a lawful point for the Earps to oppose the outlaws and to indirectly profit as well. I don't consider Wyatt a traitor. Wyatt was fundamentally an opportunist.

Arizona did not become a state until 1912. Arizona became part of the US about a month before Wyatt was born. Wyatt was 33 years old at the time of the famous gunfight. Tombstone was a town going through incredible growth. Tombstone was founded in March of 1879 and had a population of about 100. Those folks mostly lived in tents and small shacks. Within 10 months the population grew by 10 times to 1,000. Within 7 years Tombstone had a population of 14,000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone,_Arizona

"Within two years of its founding, although far distant from any other metropolitan city, Tombstone boasted a bowling alley, four churches, an ice house, a school, two banks, three newspapers, and an ice cream parlor, alongside 110 saloons, 14 gambling halls, and numerous dancing halls and brothels. All of these were situated among and on top of a large number of dirty, hardscrabble mines."
...
Less than 2 years after the founding, "... the richly appointed Grand Hotel was opened, adorned with fine oil paintings, thick Brussels carpets, toilet stands, elegant chandeliers, silk-covered furniture, walnut furniture, a kitchen with hot and cold running water."

Tombstone, 132 years ago, had a law against carrying within the town limits. Wyatt, acting as a lawman, enforced the law. I'm sure there are many LEOs and military personnel today who are indifferent to particular laws and policies but nevertheless act as instruments of those domestic and foreign policies by putting their lives on the line for the sake of ensuring that justice survive.

Wyatt's survival of those times is a testament more to his growth in wisdom than his good shooting.

Does that kind of thing still occur in Arizona? Do squads of cops in say Phoenix still have shootouts without outlaws? Probably.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Arizona

- "On foot, any adult person who is not a "prohibited possessor" may openly carry a loaded firearm visible to others in a belt holster, gun case or scabbard. Generally, a person must be at least 18 years of age to possess or openly carry a firearm."
- "Arizona residents at least 21 years old can carry a concealed weapon without a permit as of July 29, 2010."

So why don't towns in AZ still have carry restrictions? Didn't they work?