My view of the world

This is a story I heard from a security guard at the Horseshoe, more than a few years back. It may be pure “urban legend”, but it was told as true, and it certainly reflects the general attitude here in Vegas, “back in the day”.
In fact it wasn’t that many years ago, when seeing a man wearing a gun on his hip while wandering downtown might have raised a few eyebrows, but it wasn’t all that uncommon.

Late one afternoon, a guy I remember seeing around town, walked into the Horseshoe wearing his usual single action revolver, tied down low, in one of those gunsmoke style fast draw rigs.
He wandered up to security and asked if Wyatt or Doc were around. The security guard didn’t even blink, he just looked the man in the eye and said they hadn’t been in, but that if the man wanted to wait he’d have to check his gun. The man started to get loud and said they’d have to take it from him, at this point the security guard looked at him and said, “look. if Wyatt and Doc have to check their guns, you’ll damned well check yours”. At this point the man appologized and checked his weapon.
This guy really existed, and I don’t recall ever seeing him without his gun, but, as I said the rest may well be the product of somebody’s overly active imagination, still, it does reflect the attitude of the times.

Things change, it wasn’t too many years back when I used to come in from target practice out in the desert, and rather than leave my guns in my old ragtop Jeep, I’d wander over to the casino security office, wherever I was having lunch, and check my weapons.
These days, I doubt there’s a joint left in town that wouldn’t have a cow if you did that, and you’d wind up talking to Metro.