The Hollywood imagery of the great equalizer was the six-gun. Supposedly everyone carried one (or two) on their hip, it was a very specific weapon in terms of who it damaged, and that made things equal.

But the reality is that a pistol is a weapon that requires great skill to use, was expensive to buy, required a lot of maintenance, and much practice time to acquire proficiency. Not everyone carried one, either.

In truth, the great equalizer of the old West was the double-barreled shotgun, a weapon that could be used by anyone, was easy to aim, was owned by prctically every family on the frontier, but unfortunately devastating in terms of collateral damage when used in a crowd. (Plus, the prospect of facing those two big barrels was so daunting that sometimes the weapon didn’t need to be fired at all, merely contemplated from the wrong end.)

Kinda like a nuke, on the level of nations. And don’t think that some nations haven’t figured this out.