Most of the country, however, does not want to see a return to the old west
That would be too bad. The so called "wild west" was not so wild compared to a Saturday night in Chicago.
You might want to check out "Frontier Violence: Another Look" by W. Eugene Hollon, who provides some interesting facts about the old west:
In Abilene, Ellsworth, Wichita, Dodge City, and Caldwell, for the years from 1870 to 1885, there were only 45 total homicides. This equates to a rate of approximately 1 murder per 100,000 residents per year.
In 2012, Chicago's murder rate was 18.7 per 100,000. Philadelphia? 21.4!
The "wild west", with it's lack of gun regulations and meddling central planners is looking less and less wild compared to the cities controlled by nanny staters.
Hollon also notes that in Abilene, supposedly one of the wildest of the cow towns, not a single person was killed in 1869 or 1870. Hmm. That doesn't sound so 'wild'.
Anyway, facts are good for the soul. Try 'em sometime.