gun’s representation in classical Western narratives. Historian Jimmy D. Taylor claims that in doing so, the NRA ensures that iconic cowboys such as John Wayne “are still alive and well in the American imagination”. 27 The resulting message is that any law passed to restrict the ownership of guns, is an attack on American values. The fear created amongst the NRA ranks by the proliferation of this idea has led to a form of “modern vigilantism” in the eyes of historian John Jennings. 28 A trend which has direct links to the romantic representation of gun violence and vigilantism in the classical Western narrative. This notion of vigilantism has led to a political evolution of the myth focused around ‘The good guy with the gun’. On one hand, this could be seen as a devolution of the gun’s representation in Western narratives; the work done in films such as The Gunfighter and Unforgiven to show the risk and violence associated with gun ownership and use has been undone. Despite this, the politicisation of the Western narratives at the hands of the NRA is actually evidence of an evolution in the representation of the gun. Historians Charles Harris and Buck Rainey attempt to explain this development in their book The Cowboy , “The cowboy has become part of a make- believe world in which each of us has fashioned him in the image that suits our own requirements”. 29 This concept has allowed the representation of the gun in Western narratives to be used in a purposefully political manner. The NRA’s aim is to sway American society into support for gun rights. Although the representation of the gun in Western narratives had previously been used to reflect political and social ideas, the NRA’s depiction of the gun meant that it came a symbol for certain political views, an emblem of a wider conservative movement. This trend which emerged following the coup at the 1977 NRA annual meeting is evidence of an evolution in the representation of guns in Western narratives. 30 In conclusion, guns have been an important part of American society and culture since its founding in 1776. The importance of the gun throughout American history has created a lasting gun culture. The most impactful part of the gun’s history in America is its role on the frontier. This aspect of the gun’s history is so powerful that American gun culture continues to be shaped by classical Western narratives related to the American frontier. This is the case despite the narrative being largely mythical. It is based around a mythical cowboy figure who was a heroic vigilante, serving justice through his use of the gun. A 27 Jimmy D. Taylor, American Gun Culture: Collectors, Shows, and the Story of the Gun (El Paso: LFC Scholarly Publishing, 2013), p. 9. 28 Jennings, p. 11. 29 Buck Rainey, ‘Introduction’ in The Cowboy: Six Shooters, Songs and Sex , ed. by Charles W. Harris and Buck Rainey (Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1976), pp. 1-4, p. 1. 30 Jeff Suess, NRA: ‘Revolt at Cincinnati’ Molded National Rifle Association (2013), <https://eu.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/08/revolt-cincinnati-molded-nra-did-you- know-jeff-suess-schism-within-national-rifle-association-led/404628002/> [accessed 9 December 2020].
45
Made with FlippingBook HTML5