 Whether it's a Glock or an old-style revolver, you might assume police always carried some sort of firearm. But it wasn't always that way. In fact, before the 1900s, officers didn't necessarily have a gun. They carried whatever they had. Clubs and sometimes pistols or shotguns. And it was all personal property. It wasn't until the 20th century that police departments decided to get more organized and made weapons standard issue.