At the site of her shooting, Gabby Giffords pushes gun control

TUCSON, Ariz. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to the scene of the horrific shooting that wounded her and killed six people two years ago, urging senators Wednesday to pass background checks for gun purchases in her first public event at the site since the rampage.

Giffords, who is still recovering from her injuries, spoke fewer than 20 words in the parking lot of the Safeway grocery store in her hometown of Tucson in a brief but emotional call for stricter gun control measures.

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Giffords: "Too many children are dying"

"Be bold. Be courageous," Giffords said. "Please support background checks."

At one point, Giffords pumped her fist in the air and grinned.

Other survivors joined Giffords at the news conference, along with her husband, Mark Kelly. Giffords and Kelly have returned to the Safeway previously to visit the memorial, but Wednesday marked their first public event at the store since the shooting. Sheriff's deputies were there to provide security.

A gun control group started by Giffords and Kelly, Americans for Responsible Solutions, began airing a new television ad in Arizona and Iowa Tuesday calling for background checks. Giffords and Kelly support extending background checks to gun shows and Internet purchases. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up tougher firearm regulations Thursday.

"This discussion is not really about the Second Amendment," Kelly said. "It's about public safety and keeping guns out of the hands of the dangerously mentally ill."

Kelly said he and his wife are themselves proud gun owners.

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, left, shouts "fight, fight, fight" as she and husband, Mark Kelly, pump their fists together as they returned to the site of a shooting that left Giffords critically wounded on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, in Tucson, Ariz.

/ AP Photo

Jared Lee Loughner, 24, was sentenced in November to seven consecutive life sentences, plus 140 years, in the Tucson shooting. The rampage happened at a meet-and-greet event organized by Giffords outside the grocery store on Jan. 8, 2011.

Kelly said it was not difficult to return to the place where his wife nearly died. As he spoke, shoppers and vehicles moved throughout the ubiquitous shopping center that includes a nail salon, a Starbucks and dry cleaners. It smelled like grocery store fried chicken.

It's places like this, Kelly said, that Congress needs to make safer.

• Giffords' notes from gun hearing
• Transcript: Gabrielle Giffords' statement at Senate gun hearing
• Gabrielle Giffords meets with Conn. families

Supporters gave Giffords a standing ovation as she arrived at the event with her husband and staffers. With Kelly's help, Giffords walked directly to a memorial outside the supermarket honoring the victims of the shooting, where she placed a bouquet of white roses and daisies.

Kelly, who was not present when the shooting occurred, recalled the massacre that took place two years ago on a chilly morning. Loughner walked toward Giffords and shot her once in the head before directing fire at the crowd around her. He released 33 bullets in 15 seconds, Kelly said.

"It was clear that the shooter had a history of mental illness, but he had easy access to a gun," Kelly said. "If things were different, he would have failed that background check."

Giffords resigned from Congress last year. Kelly, a former astronaut, has been by her side during her recovery.

On Wednesday, Giffords occasionally rubbed her husband's back as he called for gun control reform and introduced the victims of the shooting. Many of the 13 wounded survivors underwent multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy.

Susan Hileman described her excitement before the 2011 event as she waited to introduce her 9-year-old neighbor, aspiring politician Christina-Taylor Green, to Giffords. Green was the youngest of those killed.

"I am tired of this," Hileman said. "If we can save one life, if we can keep one family from feeling this awful, empty ache, if we can do something, and if that something is a commonsense something, if that something is a responsible step ... then I wonder what the problem is, people?"

Emily Notterman recalled that her son's bullet-ridden body was left on the sidewalk outside the supermarket for hours as investigators scrambled to make sense of the chaos. Her son, Gabe Zimmerman, Gifford's director of community outreach at the time, was 30 years old when he was shot.

"It's very hard to be here today," Notterman said. "The system is riddled with holes — bullet holes. It needs to be fixed."

[camillon]

the first paragraph told me all i need to no because her husband lied on the form when he bought a gun or tried to be slick and was not sold a fire arm for he lied

[renoblue100]

Yes this hypocrite is busying pushing for you to give up your rights while her husband is down at the gun store buying an AR15 and a semi-auto pistol. Anything for them and nothing for you. Remember the Supreme Court ruled that police have no obligation to protect you. This hypocrite is a member of congress and I defy you to find one that is not making a 6 figure income, is subjected to obamanation care and is not protected by automatic weapons. So why her husband out buying the very thing is is trying to take from you. Face the facts that there cannot be to active brain cells in the entire left wing movement.

[camillon]

thank you very much liars all of them

[cashills]

And Mark Kelly is out buying an ar15, hi capacity magazines to go with it, and a 1911 45 caliber pistol....on March 5th in Arizona.

The left....hypocrites on global warming(gores and kennedy's jetting around in gulfstreams), big business(throwing govt money and subsidies at losing green energy companies), and now on gun control.

Anyone supporting liberal lunacy should be subject to not passing a gun background check based on mental incompetency.

[camillon]

iam with you all the way

[ammo17]

as sad as this is for her and her family,the gun control is only part of the problem in the country.(undocumented)guns.the big problem is the horrible mental health problem in this country.but the democrats would rather put the blame on the n.r.a. instead of themselves.

[cheery61]

Why do you lump everyone that is against the selling of assault weapons and multiple magazine clips as Democrats? A lot of us that believe in this type of gun control are blaming the n.r.a. with real reason. They are more concerned in profits than they are the lives of others.

[camillon]

i do not own a gun do not want to own a gun gun control would be like this if you can put it to you shoulder a fire it you can have it magahzine capacity if you can lift with your weapon 100 round barrel clips for ever one no rocket launchers no full automatic

[RCcheckitout]

Gifords needs to focus on the **** head that is still alive that shot her and leave gun rights alone. I know I would be wondering why this guy is still breathing and push to get him put in the ground. This should be for all these psychos who have commited crimes against the inocent like the Colorado theater shooter. I'm tired of my rights being infringed upon and nut jobs getting a slap on the wrist. Anyone who want to take my rights away is a tyrant and should be treated as one. Impeach Obama and his followers Now!

[camillon]

how many votes were fraud

[rayinmn]

Giffords was a lot more sympathetic of a figure before she got involved with Mayor Bloomberg. There was no apparent purpose for her meetings with him and nothing from the meetings was made public in the aftermath but it seems as though her and her husband's speeches have taken on an air of stridency which wasn't present before the meetings.

When you choose to associate with someone whose background is built on a foundation of banning substances and activities it's difficult for others to be confident that your beliefs about honoring the 2nd Amendment haven't been at least somewhat compromised.

[cheery61]

This has nothing, I repeat, nothing, to do with the 2nd admendment! Keep your guns for hunting, protection, etc., but, you don't need an assault weapon or a gun with multiple rounds of ammunition to kill an animal or a person.

[camillon]

so it left to you to decide what type of gun we can have i dont hunt if iwere hunting bears i would many tries to kill the bear i would want a 50 caliper and lots and lots of practice shooting

[dj4240]

I for one am getting tired of the gun grabbers using Newtown and the families of victims and the victims themselves as propaganda props..for their gun grabbing agenda...None of the proposed gun control propositions would have prevented any of those evil mass shootings....And the universal background checks would have a better chance of passing if the keeping of records of the buyers is left out of this bill. The records of buyers could be used for confiscation.

[cashills]

Gabby's shooter was a democrat. As were the shooters in Co, Fort Hood, and Ct.

Maybe we should ban Democrats.........

[Cwalsh63]

On a fairly regular basis, as with this story, I hear news reporters mention the city of "Portland" (meaning the one on the left side of the country) taking for granted that people understand which Portland they speak of. Being from the "Portland" on the right side of the country, a wonderful city in its own right and one that was here first, I ask that your editors and news writers give our fine Maine city due respect to differentiate which Portland they speak of when you mention it in your newscasts.

[aintfakin]

williamrobert says:
Am I wrong to feel that this sort of circus politics just a little bit distasteful? He knows, she knows, I know and you know that that making tougher laws on lawful gun owners will not prevent criminal acts that occurred in Tuscon or Sandy Hook...
-----------------------------------------
once again your version of the facts is without any logic.
perhaps you can explain how laws that attempt to keep guns out of the hands who are psychologically suspect is going to make it tougher on "lawful gun owners?"
No you wont be able to prevent all future sandy hooks but if you will prevent some....but according to you that isn't worth it.

[camillon]

we can not round up 11 millon illegal imigrents so what makes any one think you will be abel to take 300 millon fire arms

[aintfakin]

twilliamrobert says:
Am I wrong to feel that this sort of circus politics just a little bit distasteful? He knows, she knows, I know and you know that that making tougher laws on lawful gun owners will not prevent criminal acts that occurred in Tuscon or Sandy Hook....but facts are of little or no relevence when you parade out the victim.
Twilliam
-----------------------
you people are unbelievable. The fact that someone is dead or a "victim" is of no relevance?
good lord
thats the whole point
I'm getting more scared of gun nuts on a daily basis

[camillon]

i say who ever wants a gun and is not crazy should be allowed to get what ever they want