Unforgiven teaches us a lot: don't trust pulp fiction about cowboys written in the 1880s, pig farming is hard, always lock the bathroom—or outhouse—door.

But it also gives us a surprisingly thorough education in 19th-century firearms. (Thanks, Clint Eastwood!)

Several prominent models are mentioned, including the Schofield (the Kid's firearm), the Spencer rifle (Ned's), and a .32 (English Bob's). Guns are in here first and foremost for historical reasons. Big Whiskey is on the frontier and, in those days, you never knew what kind of trouble you might find.

LITTLE BILL: What's this for? Snakes and such?

Little Bill's being sarcastic here—he knows that Will Munny's pistol isn't for rogue wildlife—but he's also bringing up a point of historical fact: the American West is full of beasts you don't want slithering into your sleeping bag (or mauling you, or stealing your food) and guns were a matter of necessity.

But there's also a symbolic layer to all this gun-toting. You've probably heard this one before: guns are a symbol of masculinity.

We know, we know. That old chestnut. But it's especially true in Unforgiven. Check out this bit of dialogue:

LITTLE BILL: […] First off, Corky never carried two guns…though he should have.

BEAUCHAMP: Now—he was called "Two Gun Corcoran."

LITTLE BILL: Well, a lot of folks did call him "Two Gun." But that wasn't because he was sporting two pistols. That was because he had a dick that was so big, it was longer than the barrel of that Walker Colt that he carried. […]

There you have it, folks, straight from the mouth of Little Bill: in Unforgiven, guns = manhood.

This is why the no-gun law in Little Whiskey is so despicable. It's clearly not just there to keep the peace: it's there to emasculate. And that's why, when Little Bill bends the barrel of Bob's pistol, symbolically tarnishing his "manhood," Bob is almost speechless.

But the symbolism of guns doesn't stop there. They also symbolize the outlaw lifestyle. When Ned decides to head back to Kansas, he tries to give Will his rifle. When the Kid decides he's done with the life of an outlaw, he gives his pistol to Will:

THE KID: You want it, keep it. I'm never gonna use it again…I won't kill nobody no more. I ain't like you Will…Go on, keep it. All of it. It's yours…I guess I'd rather be blind and ragged than dead.

We know, at the point that Will takes up the Kid's pistol, that he's committed to taking down Little Bill and becoming a dyed-in-the-wool outlaw once again.