Thursday, September 16, 2010

This day in 1974

...the RCMP first admitted women to their ranks.

Not quite equally however, as according to the report, the first female Mounties were required to "carry their revolvers in shoulder-strap handbags." The lads kept theirs in holsters.

On a side note, mandating women keep their weapons in purses would be met with howls in today's world of ultra-tactical open holsters, 15 round mag automatics, and 29 other flavours of high-tech force projection hanging off a constable's belt. Somewhere in there a sea-change occurred in police-think and it wasn't just about gender.

Long way indeed.

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