Civil War introduced the number of weapons, munitions and their development. The Mexican War and cattle wrestling, cowboys and lawlessness along the frontier.

In the late 1950s I grew up with TV series of the Old West, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday in Tombstone Territory, and Maverick. How legends have become heroes larger than life.

History of the American West: The Reality of Guns and the Wild West

Though limited in use, the 1860 Henry proved itself a wicked weapon in the Civil War. But its devastating effect was perhaps best demonstrated in another heralded American battle -- the Little Bighorn.

Armed with the brass-receiver beauties, among other repeaters, Sioux and Cheyenne warriors utterly devastated the 7th Cavalry. Some archaeological evidence points to 134 firearms in the hands of the Indians, 62 of them Henrys.

The cavalry, on the other hand, was armed with single-shot Springfield Model 1873 rifles firing the now-notorious copper cartridges -- known to expand and jam the breech. So it seems George Armstrong Custer and his men weren't only outnumbered that late June day, they were also vastly outgunned.

... and we haven't touched on the genocide of the indigenous people across North America. The Residential schools are a permanent stain on those times.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide