Gabby Giffords in new gun-control TV ad: "Congress must act"

TUCSON, Ariz. Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is taking to the airwaves in hopes of persuading Congress to approve gun-control measures.

A political action committee formed by Giffords and husband Mark Kelly says it began airing a TV commercial Monday that shows images of the aftermath of four mass shootings and an on-camera appeal by Giffords for congressional action.

She's recovering from a head wound suffered in a January 2011 shooting in Tucson that left six people dead.

The ad notes that nine in 10 Americans support universal background checks, a finding that came in a recent CBS News/New York Times poll.

Americans for Responsible Solutions says the ad is airing in Washington and in home districts and states of congressional leaders in San Francisco, Cincinnati, Las Vegas and Louisville, Ky.

Group spokeswoman Jen Bluestein will only say the cost of the airtime tops $100,000.

• At gun violence hearing, Giffords calls for action
• NRA vs. Giffords' husband at Senate gun control hearing

"Take it from me - Congress must act," Giffords says at the end of the commercial with her husband by her side. "Let's get this done."

Play Video

Giffords: "Too many children are dying"

In remarks at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence last month, Giffords made a defiant call for Congress to "be bold" and "act" on gun violence.

"Too many children are dying," she said. "We must do something."

Giffords read slowly but forcefully from prepared remarks, and acknowledged that "speaking is difficult."

"But I need to say something important. Violence is a big problem," she said. "It will be hard. But the time is now. You must act. Be bold. Be courageous. Americans are counting on you."

[XpectUs]

"Congress must act.......but only after my husband gets his AR-15 first"

[HansEcker]

Gabby was shot by a violent mentally ill person. But because we have weak mental health laws, he passed a background check because he was not at that time a criminal and there was not way to report him as being a danger to others.

We need to get the lunatics off the streets.

[johnlockesghost]

The government has information on the mentally ill, but they do not share it with arms dealers or anyone else that sells a weapon.
Apparently, some members of the government would rather circumvent the constitution, which they have sworn to uphold, than to amend it where it would matter, the 1at amendment and not the 2nd.

[HansEcker]

Universal background checks are just code for universal gun owner registration.

Criminals will never go through background checks because criminals get their guns in the black market, they don't buy at gun shows.

[EvolvedLiberal]

It is sad to see and hear that she may never completely recover.

[nosnobs]

Why are Americans so dumb? You give a psychological test to ANYONE that wants to buy a gun. This should have always been in place. A gun is a "killing machine". WHY do we allow gun shows where every idiot on the block can buy one?!

[shurch4truth]

money and a feeling of superiority by people the promote guns no matter what the cost

[LiveFreeOrDiePatriot]

After Obama's Civil Defense Force (why do u think he wants to give the illegals citizenship) disarms the American people with the 28 million rounds and assault rifles the DHS just ordered this will happen:

http://www.infowars.com/why-the-banking-elite-wants-riots-in-america/

[CarsonCitySteve]

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Abraham Lincoln

[FredNads]

Amen... Apparently Mr Obama didn't absorb/comprehend this quote from his favorite president....

[Ulgnud]

Congress does indeed need to act. Stop pandering to the panicked sheep amongst us and start thinking. Gun Control does not work. Look at Chicago and New York. Most of those crimes are not even committed by people using the type of guns they want to ban. This is nothing more than an attack on the Second Amendment and an attack on the US Constitution. If you liberal sheep hate the second Amendment so much then go through the procedure in the US Constitution to amend the document. It has been done before for other reasons. Otherwise the Second Amendment means what it says and no amount of panic mongering will convince me to give up my rights.

[hypnotoad72]

If Gifford was a Republican, you can bet on who'd be changing their tune.

[logictoo]

I am a Republican but I will pertend for a moment that I am a Liberal and therefore very intelligent. It is Giffords with an S, not Gifford. You stand corrected if in fact the article is correct.

[Spencer60000]

"... a finding that came in a recent CBS News/New York Times poll."

Because they aren't biased. Jeesh.

Take a look at the REAL polls when the issue is explained in an unbiased and factual way.

Very few people want to establish a de-facto gun registry, or expand the list of prohibited purposes to include anyone arrested (not convicted, just arrested) on certain charges.

Or how about losing your 2nd Amendment rights because you took a mental evaluation, no matter what the results were and who ordered it.

Mandatory background checks are a solution looking for a problem. Less than 5% of all 'crime guns' are traced to private transfers.

Almost 50% of illegal guns are traced to 'straw' buyers who knowingly purchase firearms (and can pass a check) for criminals. Less than 100 people were even prosecuted for this last year.

When this is explained, most people see that mandatory background checks have more problems than solutions.

But I wouldn't hold my breath to hear that from the New York Times...

[hypnotoad72]

Any poll is only as worthy as:

a) the number of people responding to it

b) the mood of the people who responded


Unless the poll was taken by 200 million people, it does not reflect every voting-eligible adult in this country.

[FredNads]

and HYPNOTOAD72.. I might add

C. the actual question asked (and if there were reservations required by the respondent.. such as, are background checks ok if NO national registry database is maintained?)

D. Impartiality on the part of the pollsters (CBS and any New York publication owned holly or in part by Mayor Bloomberg immediately are invalidated)