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JANESVILLE - In Rep. Paul Ryan's 12 years in Congress he has received his share of threats against him.

"Emails, phone calls, in person," said Ryan, R-Janesville, who represents Racine County. "It's not frequent, but it's not uncommon."

That doesn't change the shock when one of his fellow members of Congress is actually targeted.

"You just never think it would come to this," Ryan said Monday in an interview with The Journal Times.

Saturday a gunman open fired outside a grocery store in Tucson, Ariz., during a meeting with voters hosted by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona. The shooting left Giffords in critical condition, wounded 13 others and killed six, including a 9-year-old girl and Arizona's chief federal judge.

Ryan's reaction

Ryan heard the news of the shooting Saturday while he was taking down his Christmas tree in Janesville.

He stepped down from the ladder he was on and started listening, he said.

"I didn't believe it at first," Ryan said. "My heart just sank."

He went up stairs to tell his wife, who was celebrating her birthday Saturday, and he prayed with her and his 8-year-old daughter, he said.

Ryan knows the congresswoman he calls "Gabby" from working with her on an E-Verify bill that could help people secure their identities and serve as an alternative to national ID, he said.

"She's a delightful, very energetic human being," Ryan said. "It's tragic. It couldn't have happened to a nicer person."

Ryan's own security

The type of public meeting Giffords was hosting when she was shot is common for Ryan and other representatives.

"We all do these type of events," Ryan said.

When he hosts public forums he said he does not have private security - only the top two members of Congress do, he said. He relies on local law enforcement, he said.

When he receives threats, he sends them to a threat assessment division of the U.S. Capitol Police. But beyond that he would not go into detail.

"It is not wise," Ryan said about his security protocols.

Ryan said he will be evaluating security measures he has in place.

But he stressed, "I'm not going to change the way I interact with constituents."

Some people have suggested using metal detectors, he said.

"I'm not going to do that," Ryan said. "I don't want to do anything that is going to separate me from my employers."

http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_3c21b490-1ce1-11e0-b9ca-001cc4c002e0.html