Former Rep. Gabby Giffords returns to House floor on 15th anniversary of shooting
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.99/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
PHOENIX (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords returned to the House floor Thursday on the 15th anniversary of the assassination attempt that cut short her promising political career and shocked a nation that has only seen political violence worsen in the years since.
Giffords held hands with her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries lauded her congressional service and her advocacy for tougher gun control measures. She received a standing ovation from a few dozen lawmakers in the chamber, most of them fellow Democrats.
“House Democrats stand with Gabby and with all Americans who say ‘enough is enough,’” said Jeffries, who pledged that Democrats would prioritize gun control legislation if they win the House majority in November’s midterm elections.
Giffords was shot in the head on Jan. 8, 2011, while meeting with constituents at a grocery store in Tucson, Arizona. Six were killed and 12 injured in addition to Giffords, who was left with limited motion on one side and aphasia, a verbal disability.
No coherent motive has been established for the shooter, Jared Loughner, who had schizophrenia and shared a variety of disjointed, nonsensical conspiracies in his online posts. He was sentenced to life in prison after being forcibly medicated to make him competent to stand trial.
The targeting of a political event foreshadowed the rising tide of violence that has shadowed American democracy. There was the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, two attempts on Donald Trump’s life, and the killing last June of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband.
More recently, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while talking to college students.
Giffords left Congress after the shooting to focus on her recovery, cutting short a political career that many in Arizona believe would have included a run for governor or U.S. Senate.
She went on to create, along with Kelly, a political group—now known as GIFFORDS—that lobbies for tougher gun laws and works to elect state and federal lawmakers who will support them.
Kelly was elected to the Senate in 2020 and was a finalist to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election.