I was recently reading about Benjamin Siegel, the organized crime figure known for his role in Murder, Inc. and recognized as the one who ushered in the mob-era of Las Vegas when he took over the project to build the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, the first casino on the strip and the first ritzy joint in Vegas intended to lure the elite from Hollywood and around the world. This fella was cut down at a home in Hollywood by a sniper with an M1 carbine in 1947. He would have fit the "1940" era, and he definitely would have carried concealed, although it's not clear how often. I'm sure there were plenty of times later in life that he had bodyguards and hired muscle and nothing on himself that he could be harassed for, but he built his reputation earlier in his life by his ready willingness to get his own hands dirty.
In a museum exhibit that displayed some of his personal belongings, was a S&W K-frame, .38 Special with a 4" barrel. A picture can easily be found by searching for "Bugsy Siegel gun." Now frankly, a lot of the history about guys like this is BS. The newspapers of the day printed sensationalist crap, and later Hollywood would glamorize fictional characters that barely resembled reality, and the fantasy would become an ingrained part of American culture that few people would bother to question. There's a fair chance the gun wasn't even his, and if it was, it might just as well been a gift from someone that he kept in a presentation box that could have been found among the momentos of anyone with the kind of vast wealth he had. Of course, because of his background and reputation (yeah, he was one of those unscrupulous characters that most probably broke some laws during Prohibition), I can imagine people's imaginations running wild, believing this was the gun he used to murder the cappo di tutti capi Salvatore Maranzano.
It seems pretty evident that Siegel toward the end of his life was very determined to have an image of wealth and legitimacy. The idea of him toting around a big revolver like some kind of gunslinger seems improbable, even if that's what Hollywood would have you to believe.
In a museum exhibit that displayed some of his personal belongings, was a S&W K-frame, .38 Special with a 4" barrel. A picture can easily be found by searching for "Bugsy Siegel gun." Now frankly, a lot of the history about guys like this is BS. The newspapers of the day printed sensationalist crap, and later Hollywood would glamorize fictional characters that barely resembled reality, and the fantasy would become an ingrained part of American culture that few people would bother to question. There's a fair chance the gun wasn't even his, and if it was, it might just as well been a gift from someone that he kept in a presentation box that could have been found among the momentos of anyone with the kind of vast wealth he had. Of course, because of his background and reputation (yeah, he was one of those unscrupulous characters that most probably broke some laws during Prohibition), I can imagine people's imaginations running wild, believing this was the gun he used to murder the cappo di tutti capi Salvatore Maranzano.
It seems pretty evident that Siegel toward the end of his life was very determined to have an image of wealth and legitimacy. The idea of him toting around a big revolver like some kind of gunslinger seems improbable, even if that's what Hollywood would have you to believe.