John Wesley Hardin was an American Old West outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk icon. Hardin often got into trouble with the law from an early age. He killed his first man at the age of 15, claiming he did so in self-defense.
J.B. "Wild Bill" Hickok in 1869
John Barclay Armstrong
Hardin's post mortem photo
The grave of John Wesley Hardin
Gunfighters, also called gunslingers, or in the late 19th and early 20th century, gunmen were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in shootouts. Today, the term "gunslinger" is more or less used to denote someone who is quick on the draw with a handgun, but this can also refer to those armed with rifles and shotguns. The gunfighter is also one of the most popular characters in the Western genre and has appeared in associated films, television shows, video games, and literature.
Gunslinger portrayed by Justus D. Barnes from The Great Train Robbery
Wild Bill Hickok after killing Davis Tutt in a duel. Harper's New Monthly Magazine, February 1867
A cowboy action shooter brandishing his revolver