Interestingly, the comprehensive U.S. Government report, "Violence in America," found as follows:

"The homicides that [typically] occurred [in the Old West] almost inevitably resulted from gunfights between willing participants."

In other words, there wasn't much back-shootin' *or* crazed killin'.

That Federally funded study was published in 1969 (that's 42 years ago) during the conservative Nixon administration.

The researchers got their information from Old West newspapers, not horse operas and Edge novels.