On Main Street in Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, a large sign declared "The Carrying of Fire Arms Strictly Prohibited." In Wichita, strangers were told "Leave Your Revolvers at Police Headquarters, Get a Check." Although many folks owned firearms, gun control laws appeared to be as American as apple pie. And for 200 years, the courts found that they did not violate the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.