When I was doing remote inspections of placer mines and other places, it was fairly common to be greeted by a person with a shotgun discreetly behind their back or close at hand.
In Toronto, male bank staff used to practice their marksmanship.
"( Bank manager ) Elwood grabbed a fully loaded .38 calibre revolver that was kept in the teller's drawer and set off in pursuit. The robber attempted to commandeer a car parked in front of the bank. The manager charged out of the bank and emptied the five shot revolver at the robber, but all the bullets missed."
Toronto Star
May 19, 1955. Toronto Dominion Bank at Dundas and McCaul.
"Although the banks don't appear to have taken security very seriously, they did issue handguns to bank staff with the expectation that if there was a hold-up, they would shoot back. There was even a secret downtown firing range in the old Bank of Toronto building where managers and tellers were expected to practice regularly. This ended only in the late 1950s after a bank staff member was killed by a ricocheting shot meant for a robber."
I remember chatting with an armoured truck guard around the time they switched from the old flap style holster to the secure type with a snap. I noticed he had the snap held open with tape. I said that looked like a good idea for a faster draw. He said he started doing that after robbers got the drop on him. He put his hands up. The robbers tried to disarm him, but couldn't figure how to get his gun released. Thought they were going to kill him. So, after that, he kept the snap taped back, for their convenience, while his hands were reaching for the sky.
Armoured truck guards in TO used to carry shotguns. Not just in the cab like now, but on the street too.
Not to say which times were better or worse. Just different.
www.macleans.ca
