Over the years, news photographer Leslie Jones took a number of photos of Boston Police officers with guns.
The above photo, which he took on July 3, 1919, at the height of the Red Scare, was captioned:
With the latest guns, Boston police will fear nothing. The "Reds" will be met severely in case they start anything.
In 1923, he photographed some officers with another high-powered weapon, a couple days before May Day. "Lt. Lutz is ready with men and machine guns if any May Day riots occur:"
In April, 1932, he watched Boston riot and mounted officers practice on the Common in case of any May Day trouble, or as he put it, "With the latest guns, Boston police will fear nothing. The 'Reds' will be met severely in case they start anything."
In 1934, he took a photo inside a BPD arsenal:
Photos from the BPL's Leslie Jones Collection. Posted under this Creative Commons license.
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Comments
Red Scare...
By Grant Young
Fri, 08/05/2016 - 7:39pm
When the own goal of Prohibition created a well armed criminal element that corrupted the police force. It would be funny if it weren't so tragic.
You're welcome! (lol, jk)
By chaosjake
Fri, 08/05/2016 - 7:44pm
You're welcome! (lol, jk)
In case it's not obvious....
By Gary C
Fri, 08/05/2016 - 8:50pm
Trump is running his own version of the "red scare". My how things have not changed.
If only they'd had that six months earlier ..
By JohnAKeith
Fri, 08/05/2016 - 8:54pm
Could've used that gun to protect the molasses tank from the anarchists ..
or the painters
By SwirlyGrrl
Fri, 08/05/2016 - 9:27pm
The ones who painted the tank so the leaks were not as obvious before it burst from bad design.
The real question
By tachometer
Mon, 08/08/2016 - 12:06pm
Could you see the profile of Ho Chi Minh in the paint?
AGENTS OF LENIN
By anon
Fri, 08/05/2016 - 9:53pm
Who would have believed that in September of 1919 the Boston Police would go on strike and they would be labeled Commies and Agents of Lenin.
bpd weapons
By stephen bickerton sr
Sat, 08/06/2016 - 12:19am
Judging from constant news reports who's to say they don't need them
Who's to say
By perruptor
Sat, 08/06/2016 - 8:13am
Maybe the citizenry who are allegedly going to be "protected" by all that firepower? Or maybe the cops have decided that protecting themselves is the only goal.
Who won
By anon
Sat, 08/06/2016 - 7:57am
BPD or the Bernie Bros?
Commies Shmommies!
By Ward8Mahatma
Sat, 08/06/2016 - 9:08am
What about the Mooninites? Did this vaunted arsenal stop them? Were they "met severely"? Hellz no! They paralyzed the city.
Since they've never been used
By anon
Sat, 08/06/2016 - 1:50pm
Since they've never been used, they should still be there in Like New condition.
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