i will read everything

Cowboys did NOT carry guns.
Cowboys back then were pretty much what modern days ranchers are, they wrangled cattle, and often made the bare minimum to afford food and clothes, which meant most of them couldnt afford firearms.
But even IF they could afford a firearm, it wouldnt matter since they were mostly employed by large ranchers or businessmen, and these same men prohibited them from carrying firearms when doing their work.

So basically, NO Cowboys did NOT carry guns, the guys who carried guns were Gunfighters.
Cowboys were cattle handlers.

The only reason “Cowboy” became the default name was because in the 40’s – 50’s it was much easier to just group them all into “Cowboys” rather than divide them into Gunfighter, Outlaw, Sheriff, Deputy, Marshall, etc etc.