Gunslinger
Gunslinger, also gunfighter, is a name given to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun.
Often the term was applied to men who would hire out for contract killings or at a ranch embroiled in a range war where he would earn "fighting wages." Others, like Billy the Kid, were notorious bandits and still others were lawmen like Pat Garrett and Wyatt Earp. A gunslinger could either be an outlaw, a robber or murderer who took advantage of the wilderness of the frontier to hide from, and make periodic raids on, civilized society. Or, the gunfighter could be an agent of justice, sometimes a lone avenger, but occasionally a sheriff, whose duty was to face the outlaw and bring — or likelier, personally wreak — justice upon him.
Gunslingers frequently appear, along with cowboys, as stock characters in Western movies and novels.
The Gunslinger is a book by Stephen King.
Categories: Stock characters