Law & Order - Season 7 (1996 – 1997)

Season 7 of Law & Order introduced Carey Lowell as new ADA Jamie Ross (Lowell had previously been best known for her role in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill). The previous ADA Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) had been killed off in the season finale of season six. While Hennessy had decided to leave the show, she had been told that Claire Kincaid would only be paralyzed in the accident, leaving open the possibility of returning for guest spots like Richard Brooks. The aftershocks of the season six finale (appropriately titled "Aftershock") would be felt in season seven as well as subsequent seasons, with Jack McCoy being more gunshy about asking for the death penalty, with Lennie Briscoe going back to AA and staying on the wagon for good, and with Curtis' wife developing multiple sclerosis, which the devout Curtis believed was God punishing him for his infidelity.

Cast:

Law

Detective Lennie Briscoe - Jerry Orbach
Detective Rey Curtis - Benjamin Bratt
Lieutenant Anita Van Buren - S. Epatha Merkerson

Order

Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy - Sam Waterston
Assistant District Attorney Jamie Ross - Carey Lowell
District Attorney Adam Schiff - Steven Hill

The following weapons were used in Season 7 of the television series Law & Order:

WARNING! THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Handguns

Smith & Wesson Model 36

Detective Lennie Brisco (Jerry Orbach) and Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) are armed with Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolvers. Despite the NYPD having officially switched to automatic pistols on January 1st, 1994, older officers like Briscoe and Van Buren were grandfathered in and allowed to continue carrying revolvers.

Smith & Wesson Model 36 - .38 Special

Det. Briscoe with his S&W 36 in "Causa Mortis" (S07E01)

A S&W 36 is taken from a dead officer in "Double Down" (S07E19).

Lennie with his S&W 36 drawn in "We Like Mike" (S07E20).

Glock 19

Detective Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) and other NYPD officers are armed with Glock 19 pistols.

Glock 19 (2nd Generation) - 9x19mm

Curtis with his Glock 19 in "Causa Mortis" (S07E01)

Curtis with his Glock from the same episode.

Earl Novak (Jay Spadaro) fires a Glock 19 in "Double Down" (S07E19).

Curtis searches a suspect's apartment in "Corruption" (S07E05).

A dead Lt. John Flynn (Kevin Conway) with his Glock in "Corruption" (S07E05).

Colt Detective Special

The murder weapon in "Causa Mortis" (S07E01) is a Colt Detective Special, however the victim was bludgeoned with the butt of the gun rather than shot.

Colt Detective Special 1st Gen - .38 Special

An officer fishes the DS out of a pipe "Causa Mortis" (S07E01)

Budischowsky/Norton TP-70

The murder weapon in "I.D." (S07E02) is a .25 caliber Budischowsky/Norton TP-70. It is described by both EADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Det. Rey Curtis as a ".25 caliber Fluger pistol," although the closed captions say "Ruger" instead of "Fluger."

Budischowsky TP-70 - .25 ACP

Curtis finds the murder weapon.

Curtis shows the murder weapon to the suspect.

McCoy holds up the weapon during the trial.

Smith & Wesson 5946

Lennie Briscoe is shown with a Smith & Wesson 5946 at a police range in "Corruption" (S07E05), though he drew his usual Smith & Wesson Model 36 earlier in the episode. Along with the Glock 19, the S&W 5946 is one of the semiauto pistols that is an actual NYPD-approved sidearm. He explains to a colleague that he's being forced to transition from a revolver to an automatic, although is seen still using the S&W Model 36 in later episodes (the real-life NYPD was transitioning to automatics as service weapons at the time, but a veteran officer like Briscoe would be able to have his revolver "grand-fathered" in). Briscoe's pistol is described as "the Smith & Wesson".

Smith & Wesson 5946 - 9x19mm

Lennie Briscoe is shown with a Smith & Wesson 5946 at a police range in "Corruption" (S07E05).

Briscoe: "25 years with the revolver, now I gotta switch to the automatic."
In "Corruption" (S07E05), Lennie explains to a colleague that he's being forced to transition from a revolver to an automatic, although the detective continued to carry the S&W Model 36 throughout the rest of his time in the series. His use of the automatic here could be construed as an attempt to help gin up a conversation with the fellow officer.