“-——Most officers back then were hunters and fishermen and had family members and friends that were the same.”
Not so-———I’ve know many city cops over the years and NONE ever hunted or fished.
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Most of the guys I worked with in the mid-70’s and 80’s did hunt or fish. But the difference was most of the guys on the job were there because it was not a job, but a profession. They took pride in the work they did. That started to change in the late 80’s when there was a push to diversify police agencies.
Before, a person couldn’t take a promotional exam until they had at least 5 years on the job. Then it was changed to 2 years. You had guys with very little street experience becoming first-line supervisors. It’s never been the same since.
So I would guess you would have some that would resist the order to confiscate weapons, and you would have some who would not see the illegality of such an order.