New York’s finest first began toting revolvers back in 1895. And while the department began transitioning their officers over to SIGs and GLOCKs decades ago, a few long-timers were determined to #resist, holding onto their wheel guns as long as possible.
But with the number of those revolver-packing, aging officers down to about four dozen, the NYPD made the announcement last fall that carrying something like the old Ruger Service-Six pictured above on duty would no longer be an option.
Never mind the slow reloads and lower capacity, the department probably didn’t want to have to keep parts and armorers around who could service the things.
But the change has been met with resistance from officers reluctant to set aside the revolvers that they regard as old friends for unfamiliar pistols that have twice the capacity but are susceptible to jamming. Officer Mary Lawrence, a crime prevention officer in the 103rd precinct in Queens, said that was never a concern with the Smith & Wesson revolver that she has used over her 26 years with the department.
“I’m proud of this uniform that I’m wearing and I’m proud of my gun that I carry because it’s been reliable to me,” she said. “I didn’t think that I needed extra firepower at all.”