Politixia
One wonders what The Virginian would think of Texas’ current lawmakers. Or for that matter what Owen Wister, the East Coast, Harvard-educated creator of that fictional cowboy would think?
In the 1880s, Wister went West, following in the footsteps of his college pal, Teddy Roosevelt. Based on his observations there, Wister penned his classic novel. The book became a hit, and its hero — after four movies and a television series — the icon of the American cowboy.
The West, as Wister portrayed it, didn’t last long, yet the myth of the gunslinger not only lingered but grew. Recently, fueled in part by pandering puffery of the NRA, a growing number of people have turned to the myth of the cowboy and his trusty firearm as a talisman against what they view as their loss of place and power in today’s woke culture.
Nowhere is this more visible than in Texas, a state built in part on the myth of the West.
And nowhere in Texas is it more obvious than with our state’s lawmakers, who don’t just refuse to acknowledge the raging war of gun violence taking place on our streets but seem hellbent on increasing the carnage.
War?
It certainly feels like one. Consider the statistics: In 2021, 4,613 Texans lost their lives to gun violence, a nearly 11 percent increase from 2020. That’s one death every two hours — around 16 victims per 100,000 residents.
We’re in this crisis in large part because of Texas lawmakers who have chosen to pander to a vocal minority of voters in order to maintain power. Rather than heed the wishes of most Texans, who want stronger firearm regulations such as universal background checks, safe storage, red-flag laws and tougher age restrictions on purchasing assault-style weapons, they pass legislation allowing open carry.
Why is it easier to purchase a large-capacity assault weapon designed for war and capable of killing classrooms of children than it is for hunters like me to legally shoot a single dove, which requires not only a license, but also gun-safety training and a magazine limit of three shells? It seems significant that most of these so-called leaders are men: A news photo of the signing of the open carry laws shows 12 white guys including Wayne LaPierre, head of the NRA, one in a cowboy hat. Feeling cultural emasculation, are they clinging to a century-old myth?
If so, I suggest they read “The Virginian.” The character Wister created was not the macho gunslinger that film and TV transformed him into. Rather, he was a quiet, responsible, newspaper-reading citizen who looked out for others and seldom drew his revolver, let alone shot someone.
I understand the power of the myth. I grew up playing “cowboys and Indians,” served during the Vietnam War, still love to hunt, and yes, frequently wonder where the heck our world is headed.
But I believe it’s time that we — including Texas lawmakers — “man up” 21st-century style.
It’s time those of us who still cling to the myth of the American cowboy and glorify guns as icons of power, manhood and independence let our fictional hero ride off into the sunset.
It is time we balanced the right to bear arms with the right to life and liberty. If we don’t, as the outrage against gun violence grows, as more men, women and children die, we’ll lose both.
It’s time for Texas lawmakers to ramp up their courage and honor the wishes of a majority of Texans by passing basic measures, including universal background checks, disarming domestic abusers, adopting extreme-risk protection orders and raising the minimum age to buy assault weapons.
If the Virginian were here, I’m sure he would agree.
Scott Spreier is a senior ambassador with the Texas chapter of Giffords Gun Owners for Safety. He lives in Dallas.
