If my subscription weren’t ending anyway, I would cancel it as a result of [Roger Jay’s] article. I can think of no group of individuals more outraged to lose their Second Amendment rights than those in the Old West. They understood the need to defend themselves against criminals and the fauna of the West. For your publication to carry an article even hinting at changes to gun rights means you have no understanding of your subject matter.

Carolyn Boyles
North Little Rock, Ark.

In regard to “Second Thoughts about the Second Amendment”: Your magazine used to be my favorite, until this issue, which by the way will be my last. Why did you have to let the B.S. in your magazine?

Ed Prince
Fairfield, Ill.

The editor responds: What Roger Jay wrote was an opinion piece in the form of a Top Ten list. In each issue, we have a writer come up with a list (humorous or serious) about the Wild West for our Roundup department. As the title indicates, it is Roger Jay’s list. We would have run his list had he called it “Roger Jay’s Reasons for Loving the Second Amendment.” We also like the First Amendment. We do regret a couple of mistakes in the editing process of Roger Jay’s feature story “A Tale of Three Western Cities.” Samuel Botts was not a “drunken road grader”; he was the road grader who attempted to arrest the drunk cattle baron Shanghai Pierce. And the leader of the Texas gang was Hurricane Bill Martin, not Madden. We apologize for the mistakes.

Great Mix
The August 2008 issue of Wild West is what the Wild West is all about: a little shootin’, a little minin’, some justice, some killin’ and the usual drama mixed with theater, law and order, outlaws and a slew of wayward “Kids.” It’s a great mix.

Dorman Nelson
Via e-mail

The editor responds: Glad you enjoy the magazine. Readers can go to “forums” at our Web site www.HistoryNet.com and debate the top Old West towns.

Mackenzie, Not Miles
On P. 44 of the October 2008 issue, we ran a photo of Ranald Mackenzie instead of Nelson Miles. A miss is as good as a Miles, and we apologize.

Send letters to Wild West, 19300 Promenade Dr., Leesburg, VA 20176, or e-mail us at WildWest@weiderhistorygroup.com. Letters may be edited for space.

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