Gunslingers - The Wild West -4 Mini stories. From 1850 to 1890 the Old west had little in the way of government law or police. Men would carry guns on them to protect themselves: some were outlaws, and some were the lawmen who tried to stop them. Good aim and speed with a gun and a willingness to pull the trigger would make them famous. Today we call them gunfighters or gunslingers, but back then they were called gunmen or shootists.