OMG! Wild West Shootouts! Reenacted For Tourists! OMG!

December 21, 2012

You remember the horror and disillusionment you felt in, oh, fourth grade when you learned in your American History class that cowboys used to regularly line up children in one-room schoolhouses across the west and mow them down with their Colt Peacemakers? Yeah, neither do we. Which makes the tightly wadded panties and pusilanimous hand-wringing over the Fort Worth Stock Yard’s reenactments of wild west shootouts a little bit curious. But we live in a politically correct time of knee-jerk, ill-considered over-reactions. Even in Texas . . .

Someone named Dennis Merrell, sporting jeans, a big buckle and a black Resistol just to establish his Texan bona fides, recently whined to a WFAA reporter (via fishandgame.com) that, “To me, it’s a little insensitive, in light of the Aurora and the Connecticut shootings.” Apparently having missed a daily supplement or two, he went on, evidently with the families of the Sandy Hook victims in mind:

That family is not going to celebrate and, God forbid, if one of them was down here and saw this gun fight … It’s not really anything to make a show out of.

Strange, but we weren’t aware that it was compulsory to attend a gunfight reenactment while visiting the Lone Star State. We were under the apparently mistaken impression that anyone who paid to take the tour and see the actors pretend to shoot each other did so of their own free will.

But since even make-believe shooting is now beyond the pale, it’s probably only a matter of time, then, until Gettysburg is forced to stop their battlefield reenactments out of respect for those who would otherwise be forced to view them. And don’t get us started on the Revolutionary War. Again, we’re living in interesting times. [h/t Mark C.]

22 COMMENTS

Scott P December 21, 2012 At 14:13

Stop this planet I want to get off.
- Sanchanim December 21, 2012 At 17:46
  
  This is like saying singing silent night is a form of bullying!
  Yes it is happening in Montana…
إبليس December 21, 2012 At 14:14

The Wild West was AWB compliant so what’s the harm?
bontai Joe December 21, 2012 At 14:14

Makes me wonder if they still do shootouts in “Wild West City” in New Jersey….. yes I said New Jersey. I went there about 30 years ago and enjoyed the spectacle VERY much, a good time was had by all. They are still in business http://wildwestcity.com/
16V December 21, 2012 At 14:19

If only we showed the same courtesy to the 75+ people who die in car accidents every day, or the 300+ who die due to medical errors every day, or…

How unthoughtful is it for us not to give up our cars and doctors, lest a victim of a horrible tragedy from gross misuse of that tool by a crazy person be potentially offended.
- Billy Wardlaw December 21, 2012 At 14:26
  
  To that end, I think auto-racing is offensive to victims of car accidents, and should be stopped. 😉
Pulatso December 21, 2012 At 14:25

I know for a fact that cowboys had high capacity revolvers with optics. They never missed and they never reloaded.
- Ralph December 21, 2012 At 14:51
  
  And they rode horses, which is why PETA hates them.
  - Sanchanim December 21, 2012 At 17:46
    
    Is that “People Eating Tiny Animals”?
    - 16V December 21, 2012 At 22:49
      
      I always thought it was “tasty”, but to each their own…
    - speedracer5050 December 22, 2012 At 01:41
      
      PETTA: People Eating Tiny Tasty Animals!!!
      Frog legs and Squirrel stew anyone??!!
Aharon December 21, 2012 At 14:37

I recall watching a wild west draw at Knox Berry Farm in California when I was eight years old. Afterwards, we went gold panning. It was great fun. Today, guns and gold are not PC (they’re only for ‘dangerous’ survivalists) and the social engineers want to ban them.
Lance December 21, 2012 At 14:43

Obama wants to ban reenactments now???? Dumb liberals sigh!!
Ralph December 21, 2012 At 14:50

Out of respect for the families, Christmas should be canceled. It’s just too insensitive to celebrate anything right now. The PC Police will notify us when it’s okay to go on about our lives. Until then, stay home . . . but no praying.
Forrest December 21, 2012 At 14:58

Honestly, I would go to a mock-hanging.
pk in AZ December 21, 2012 At 15:03

Hope he stays in Texas, and stays away from us here in Arizona.

We live about 25 miles from Tombstone, and he would be SHOCKED, I say, SHOCKED to see the reenactments there! (Shootout at OK Corral)

Not to mention the annual Helldorado Days: http://www.helldoradodays.com

And one other thing, we OPEN CARRY here! (Again, SHOCKED, I say!)
- Sanchanim December 21, 2012 At 17:48
  
  Thats it THATS IT!!!! I am moving…
  To Arizona lol
  - pk in AZ December 21, 2012 At 18:40
    
    More than happy to have you “Sanchanim”!
    
    Come one, come all!
Agi Quod Agis December 21, 2012 At 17:15

cool John Wayne look-alike on the right….
Bob December 22, 2012 At 14:38

Not to mention WWII re-enactments.
Dennis Merrell February 28, 2015 At 12:43

I think ya’ll are missing the point. In Texas, at this time, it is ILLEGAL to walk down the street with a sidearm displayed, reenactor or not. BTW, in 2012 in South Dakota , a Gunfight reenactor ( Convicted Felon) forgot to empty his real bullets and shot 3 Tourists. ( He got 7 years) I bet the kids all loved watching the blood run out the victims! I’m sure it made an impression on them ( I watched my Brother get shot when I was 13). But all you wannabe Cowboys think guns are toys go right ahead but when your kids get shot don’t say that you hadn’t been warned. Have a nice day! Hell go kill something or someone ! It’s ENTERTAINMENT!!!!