Who is Gabby Giffords? Ex-Arizona rep calls Boulder shooting 'personal tragedy' 10 years after being shot in head
Former Democratic Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords spoke out after the mass shooting at King Soopers store in Boulder, Colorado, that left 10 dead, including a police officer on Monday, March 22, calling it a "personal tragedy" as she recalled surviving a similar shooting in Tucson.
"Today it's a tragedy in Boulder, Colorado. This past weekend it was a house party in Philadelphia. And last week it was an armed attack on Asian American women in the Atlanta area. It doesn't have to be this way. It’s beyond time for our leaders to take action," Giffords wrote in a series of tweets. "My heart sinks for those waiting for news of their family and friends in Boulder. As we receive more information, we must remember that every victim has a name. They had hopes, dreams, and people who loved them. They are no longer with us because of preventable tragedies."
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In a third tweet, she added, "This is an especially personal tragedy for me. I survived a shooting at a grocery store that devastated my beloved Tucson. It’s been 10 years and countless communities have faced something similar. This is not normal."
Today it's a tragedy in Boulder, Colorado. This past weekend it was a house party in Philadelphia. And last week it was an armed attack on Asian American women in the Atlanta area. It doesn't have to be this way. It’s beyond time for our leaders to take action.
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) March 23, 2021
This is an especially personal tragedy for me. I survived a shooting at a grocery store that devastated my beloved Tucson. It’s been 10 years and countless communities have faced something similar. This is not normal. #EnoughIsEnough https://t.co/yWrLd2rFwE
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) March 23, 2021
On Tuesday, a day after the Boulder shooting, Giffords Law Center Executive Director Robyn Thomas is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing titled “Constitutional and Common Sense Steps to Reduce Gun Violence.” "The hearing will unquestionably take on even more urgency in the wake of this latest tragedy, and Thomas’ testimony will highlight actionable, research-proven solutions to reducing gun violence in America," a press release said.
Who is Gabby Giffords?
Gabrielle Dee Giffords or Gabby Giffords served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Arizona's 8th congressional district from January 2007 until January 2012, when she survived an assassination attempt. As a result of severe brain injury, she was forced to resign. Giffords was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to Congress.
She was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. Giffords graduated from Scripps College and Cornell University. After initially moving to New York City, where she worked in regional economic development for Price Waterhouse, Giffords returned to Arizona to work as the CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, which is a family business started by her grandfather.
The lawmaker served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 until 2003 and the Arizona Senate from 2003 until 2005 when she was elected to the House. Giffords had just begun her third term in January 2011 when she was shot in the head in an assassination attempt and mass shooting just outside of Tucson during an event with constituents. This was the event she was referring to when she spoke about surviving a similar incident to that of the Boulder shooting.
Assassination event/ mass shooting
The mass shooting in question took place on January 8, 2011, outside a Safeway grocery store in Casas Adobes, Arizona, a suburban area northwest of Tucson. A man ran up to the crowd and began firing a 9mm pistol with a 33-round magazine, hitting 19 people, and killing six, among them federal judge John Roll and a 9-year-old child, Christina-Taylor Green.
The shooter was identified as Jared Lee Loughner. He was detained by bystanders until he was taken into police custody. He was charged the next day with killing federal government employees, attempting to assassinate a member of Congress, and attempting to kill federal employees.
Giffords, who was shot in the head in the shooting, was quickly evacuated to the University Medical Center of Tucson in critical condition. Doctors performed emergency surgery to extract skull fragments and a small amount of necrotic tissue from her brain. Giffords has since recovered much of her ability to walk, speak, read, and write. Upon her return to the House floor in August 2011, she was greeted with a standing ovation.
Giffords has since become an ardent advocate for gun control. In January 2013, she and her husband, former Space Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly, launched Americans for Responsible Solutions, a non-profit organization and Super-PAC which later joined with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to become Giffords -- an organization dedicated to saving lives from gun violence.