Why is giffords still in office

Democrats and Republicans, gun owners and non—gun owners alike—we stand united to reject the gun lobby and pass lifesaving gun safety laws.

Press Release. Read More. Gun Suicide. Community Violence. Domestic Violence. Police Shootings. Mass Shootings. She wanted to give her constituents a chance to meet with her, but the event soon turned deadly when year-old Jared Lee Loughner shot Giffords in the head. In addition to wounding the congresswoman, Loughner wounded several others and killed six people, including District Court Judge John M.

Roll, a 9-year-old girl, and an aide to Giffords. Hours after the shooting, President Obama released a statement condemning the attack, stating that "such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society. I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers.

After the shooting, Giffords was rushed to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. She made a remarkable comeback from her injuries in the weeks and months that followed.

She regained her ability to talk, walk and handle other everyday activities after going through extensive rehabilitation. Giffords was even well enough to attend the launch the Space Shuttle Endeavour that May. Her husband, Mark Kelly, was the commander of that mission. Her assailant, Jared Lee Loughner, pleaded not guilty to the shooting-related charges in The following August, he switched his plea to guilty to avoid the death penalty. In November , he was sentenced to seven life terms plus years in prison, according to the New York Times.

In January , more than a year after the attempt on her life, Giffords resigned from Congress to devote her time to her recovery. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a friend and colleague of Giffords, read her resignation letter aloud to the House. The note said, in part: "The only way I ever served my district in Congress was by giving percent. This past year, that's what I have given to my recovery. In her letter, she told colleagues, "Every day I am working hard.

I will recover and will return and we will work together again for Arizona and for all Americans. The couple penned a book together about her recovery, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope , which was published in Giffords and Kelly also co-founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, an organization that seeks to reduce gun violence.

Its mission, according to its Facebook page, is to "encourage elected officials to stand up for solutions to prevent gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership by communicating directly with the constituents that elect them.

We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Cindy McCain is an Arizona businesswoman, a philanthropist who works with international nonprofit organizations, and was married to U. Senator John McCain. Barry Goldwater was an American politician best known as a senator from Arizona and the Republican candidate for president in Two years ago, the Democratic-controlled House passed legislation to strengthen the federal background check system — in a nod to Giffords, it was introduced on Jan.

Now Democrat Joe Biden is poised to be inaugurated as president and the new Senate will be under Democratic control, improving its prospects for passage. That is her top priority for the year, Giffords said. Patience and persistence, even in the face of setbacks, are qualities she has honed in her own recovery from the bullet that pierced her brain. She has limited use of her right arm and leg; she walks with a limp and uses a cane. Her memory is sharp and her humor intact, but she struggles to speak.

For her videotaped remarks to the Democratic National Convention in August, which lasted about 90 seconds, she practiced and trained with her speech therapist for hours, Ambler estimated. That said, her use of language this week was more fluent than it had been during a USA TODAY interview with her in , although she still typically responds to a question with just a word or two. Now 50, she seemed more confident and relaxed. She easily recalled the name of a Tucson restaurant she had taken the reporter to more than six years earlier — it was Pizzeria Bianco — and lamented the fact that it has since closed.

Lot of Zoom. She has been taking a virtual yoga class twice a week as well as French horn lessons and Spanish lessons. She rides her recumbent bike whenever she can. Really cold! Oh, chilly. Giffords' willingness to let people see her struggle is one reason she has been so effective as an advocate, said Patricia Maisch, a constituent who had signed up to speak with her that day 10 years ago. She had grabbed the assailant's extra ammunition to keep him from reloading his gun.

After the shooting, the trauma surgeon who treated Giffords and other victims at the University of Arizona medical center that day decided to run for office. Randall Friese said in an interview, "but running for office would make it possible for me to transition to care for the community, to address gun violence on a broader scale.