It's a commonly held myth that the Western states, when government was largely non-existent, was wild and uncontrolled except by armed gangs and bad men.
That is plainly not true at all, in fact, exactly the opposite was true. The most dangerous places in America were where the government was the largest, and this is true today.
What is clear is that we Americans need to be rid of at least the federal government as soon as possible, and then reduce state governments radically.
References:
1.
Law for the Elephant: Property and Social Behavior on the Overland Trail by John Reid, ca. 1996.
2.
An American Experiment in Anarcho-Capitalism: The NOT so Wild, Wild West (pdf download) by Terry Anderson and P. J. Hill, the department of Economics, Montana State niversity.