A Personal Quest to Make Guns’ Toll Visible

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WARWICK, R.I. — It happened a few minutes before the beginning of Jim Langevin’s junior cadet shift back in 1980.

He arrived at the police station here early, as usual. Two officers were standing in the locker room admiring a new .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Thinking the chamber was empty, one of them pulled the trigger. A bullet ricocheted off a locker and went right through the boy’s neck, severing his spinal cord.

At 16, he would never walk again and never fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer.

Now, three decades later and seven terms into his career as one of Rhode Island’s two members of the House of Representatives, Mr. Langevin, 48, is the only quadriplegic ever to serve in Congress. And his story, unknown to many of those who work with him every day in the Capitol, has thrust him into the raging national debate over gun control.

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[Simbi Laveau]

Anyone who carries or touches a gun ,is libel for any accidential ,or purposeful lose of life .Wether they carry a badge and a warrant ,or not .

[Michelle]

I guess along with being underpaid and overworked we should force police officers to buy gun insurance too.

[Sweetpumper]

We should ban underpaying and overworking.

[aztek]

so dumb azz neglegent cop shot him by accedent, and he is on personal crusade against guns????

[Thanato]

See he is an example of what happens when you negligently discharge a firearm.

Most people shot by guns, not nessessarily killed but shot, are shot by accedent.

[Uncle Sam]

He should be campaigning for strict gun safety training within the police force, instead of being a ****** *** and try to take away our right to bare arms.

[Thanato]

You have have all the bear arms you want. You just have to hunt the bears first.

I watch all this stuff down in the US and I agree that people should have the ability to own and use firearms for hunting, and in rural areas, property/livestock defence.

I dont beleive that people should own snub nose pistols, should be allowed to conceal carry pistols. You can effectivly defend your home with a hunting shotgun. A pistol is more likely to miss the target then hit the target, due to the short barrel.

[Hawken]

It's always the gun's fault. Colt, Ruger, S & W and all gun manufacturers need to stop putting brains

in their firearms so those weapons can't think for themselves and shoot people.

[Uncle Sam]

You have have all the bear arms you want. You just have to hunt the bears first.

I watch all this stuff down in the US and I agree that people should have the ability to own and use firearms for hunting, and in rural areas, property/livestock defence.

I dont beleive that people should own snub nose pistols, should be allowed to conceal carry pistols. You can effectivly defend your home with a hunting shotgun. A pistol is more likely to miss the target then hit the target, due to the short barrel.

Handguns are lot more easier to handle in your own or long hallways, due to the fact you don't have to raise your pistol to fire. It makes it much more easier to aim at the perp who is breaking into your home with intent to kill you.

[Thanato]

Handguns are lot more easier to handle in your own or long hallways, due to the fact you don't have to raise your pistol to fire. It makes it much more easier to aim at the perp who is breaking into your home with intent to kill you.

Easier to handle yes, easier to aim no. Most people cant hit a target with a pistol with out lots of practice at a static range. They are inaccurate due to the small barrel. A millimeter off your aim will mean inches or even feet down at your target. Many people dont realize this and the problem only gets worse the shorter the barrel. You might hit the person breaking into your home, or you might hit Timmy in the next house over. Or you might empty your mag and not hit a damn thing but the broad side of the barn. I've had a pistol when I was overseas in Afghanistan, and I knew that if it came down to it I'd have better luck throwing it at the Taliban then shooting with it.

~Thanato

[Rafterman]

Sounds like the officers needed to take the NRA gun safety course.

[Uncle Sam]

Easier to handle yes, easier to aim no. Most people cant hit a target with a pistol with out lots of practice at a static range. They are inaccurate due to the small barrel. A millimeter off your aim will mean inches or even feet down at your target. Many people dont realize this and the problem only gets worse the shorter the barrel. You might hit the person breaking into your home, or you might hit Timmy in the next house over. Or you might empty your mag and not hit a damn thing but the broad side of the barn. I've had a pistol when I was overseas in Afghanistan, and I knew that if it came down to it I'd have better luck throwing it at the Taliban then shooting with it.

~Thanato

First gun I ever shot was a pistol, I could easily hit my targets. Maybe it is because I got a steady hand, hand/eye cordination, and I have a firm understanding how guns work. I got like 2 pistols now... 40 and 45 caliber.

[AsteroidX]

I guess along with being underpaid and overworked we should force police officers to buy gun insurance too.

I respectfully disagree with this statement when the average patrol officer who works maybe 1hr out of his 12 hr shift the rest is sitting in the car and talking bs with his partners as underpaid. They can often make over 100k a year with overtime. There overtime comes from securing the scene for other detective types that need the patrol cops to hang around hours beyond there shifts and just stand around. Not exactly overworked.

I will agree elements of there job can be high risk but those are very quick and end quickly episodes.

[Uncle Sam]

I respectfully disagree with this statement when the average patrol officer who works maybe 1hr out of his 12 hr shift the rest is sitting in the car and talking bs with his partners as underpaid. They can often make over 100k a year with overtime. There overtime comes from securing the scene for other detective types that need the patrol cops to hang around hours beyond there shifts and just stand around. Not exactly overworked.

I will agree elements of there job can be high risk but those are very quick and end quickly episodes.

Some of my family members work as police officers. I wanted to become one too, to bring some good into it. You know... to serve and protect the people, instead of viewing them as the enemies.

[aztek]

I dont beleive that people should own snub nose pistols, should be allowed to conceal carry pistols.

why not?, it saves lives.

Edited February 10, 2013 by aztek

[Thanato]

why not?, it saves lives.

It can save lives, but can also cost lives. As I've stated previously, a short barreled weapon is far more likely to miss it's target then a long barreled weapon.

As for conceal carry, I just wouldnt feel comfortable having an untrained potentialy chaotic element tossed into an already dangerous situation.

~Thanato

[freetoroam]

He should be campaigning for strict gun safety training within the police force, instead of being a ****** *** and try to take away our right to bare arms.

just a question? Why should you have to campaign for this when the janitors are being asked to do this with out campaigns? Seems odd that the police are not already being given strict gun safety training......but can not see how this will stop the police officer who decides to take the law into his own hands and shoots innocent people, it will help him shoot even better, but it will not change his warped mind.

[rashore]

I thought this might be some interesting information to add...

Congressmen Jim Langevin (D-RI) and David N. Cicilline (D-RI) today joined Chair Mike Thompson (CA-05) in releasing the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force’s comprehensive policy principles designed to reduce gun violence while respecting Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding Americans.

“We must seize this opportunity to do all we can to prevent future tragedies,” said Langevin. “The vast majority of Americans want to see meaningful reforms to our gun laws to keep weapons out of the wrong hands, and we have a moral obligation to follow through on actions that would make our communities safer, especially our children. Following the Task Force’s principles would set us on the path to fulfilling that responsibility, while respecting the Second Amendment.”

http://langevin.hous...licy-principles

It's a nice release off Langevins government page. Violence Prevention Task Force- gives a description of a bunch of folks they talked to, and a bulletpoint of what the VPTF is urging congress to do...

Three of the bulletpoints..

• Support the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. The United States Supreme Court affirmed individuals’ Second Amendment rights to firearms in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008). However, the Supreme Court also held that “the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited.” Within the limits described by Heller, the federal government has the responsibility to take appropriate steps to protect our citizens from gun violence.
  
• Support citizens’ rights to possess firearms for hunting, shooting sports, defense, and other lawful and legitimate purposes: In the United States, there is a long tradition of hunting and recreational shooting, and firearms are often passed down within families from generation to generation. Policies passed by Congress should respect this.
  
• Support responsible gun ownership: Congress should support safety training, research aimed at developing new gun safety technologies and the safe storage of firearms.
  

There's a lot of other stuff too about some gun control, cracking down on illegal guns, addressing mental health issues, background checks, general safety and prevention stuff...

I have to agree with some of the things the VPTF is urging. Some points I have mixed feelings about.

[aztek]

It can save lives, but can also cost lives.

well for those that carry, and used it in self defence, answer is clear, it saved their life, and it cost assailant's\rapists their life, sounds fair to me.

and I really doubt they care about your feeling of comfort, at the cost of their safety.

[Michelle]

I love how rashore always gets to the heart of the matter.

Edited February 11, 2013 by Michelle

[Michelle]

I respectfully disagree with this statement when the average patrol officer who works maybe 1hr out of his 12 hr shift the rest is sitting in the car and talking bs with his partners as underpaid. They can often make over 100k a year with overtime. There overtime comes from securing the scene for other detective types that need the patrol cops to hang around hours beyond there shifts and just stand around. Not exactly overworked.

I will agree elements of there job can be high risk but those are very quick and end quickly episodes.

That may be the case in some areas, but not all. I would have to see proof they can make over 100k with overtime...it definitely isn't true in my area. I guess you could say a lot of people have jobs just standing around, from the local librarian to the union road worker who stands next to the road directing traffic around construction. Most of the time they stand around doing nothing...waiting to be needed, but they are still on the job.

Should they be paid according to the risk factor? If that is the case then a lot of them should be making a bunch more money.

[freetoroam]

That may be the case in some areas, but not all. I would have to see proof they can make over 100k with overtime...it definitely isn't true in my area. I guess you could say a lot of people have jobs just standing around, from the local librarian to the union road worker who stands next to the road directing traffic around construction. Most of the time they stand around doing nothing...waiting to be needed, but they are still on the job.

Should they be paid according to the risk factor? If that is the case then a lot of them should be making a bunch more money.

Maybe there is no need for overtime in your area, I think thats a good thing, shows they are not overstretched because of too much crime.

But, yes, they should get paid according to risk factor, and in areas where gun crime and gang crimes are rife, they probably do.

[Dan'O]

I want a MK-19 for the top of my minivan.