The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962 Senator Rancy Stoddard returns to the Wild West town of Shinbone for the funeral of her friend Tom Doniphon. Wondering what the senator was doing at Shinbon, he tells a reporter how his career as "the man who shot Liberty Valance" began. He comes to Shinbon, where guns replace the rule of law, as a lawyer to establish law in the West. Rancy is severely beaten by Liberty Valance when the stagecoach is illegally hijacked. In an attempt to find a way to bring Valance to justice, Rance also teaches the people of Shinbon to read and write. He finally takes the gun and stands in front of Valance. The man who shot Liberty Valance; It was placed under the protection of the National Film Bureau in 2007 because it is culturally, historically and aesthetically significant.