In the movies, after the outlaws ride into town, the folks who capture or kill the bad guys wear badges. However, in real life it was often quite different... many notorious outlaws in American history were brought down by ordinary citizens using their own self-defense weapons.

Among the thrilling tales:

• Jesse James: The townsfolk of Northfield, Minnesota just didn't want their bank robbed that day.
• The Dalton Gang: Trying to take down two banks at once proved ill-advised when these bandits were faced with the armed citizens of Coffeeville, Kansas.
• George Birdwell: Onetime right-hand man to Pretty Boy Floyd, he and his partners in crime were gunned down by the all-black residents of Boley, Oklahoma.
• Anthony Chebatoris: A bank robber who killed an innocent bystander in Midland, Michigan learned the hard way that dentists sometimes keep deer rifles in their offices.