PHOENIX (AP) 鈥� Former U.S. Rep. returned to the House floor Thursday on the 15th anniversary of the 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. , as House Minority Leader lauded her congressional service and her for tougher gun control measures. She received a standing ovation from a few dozen lawmakers in the chamber, most of them fellow Democrats.
鈥淗ouse Democrats stand with Gabby and with all Americans who say 鈥榚nough is enough,鈥欌�� 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 , on Donald Trump’s life, and the killing of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband.
More recently, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while .
Giffords left Congress 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鈥攏ow known as GIFFORDS鈥攖hat lobbies for tougher gun laws and works to elect state and federal lawmakers who will support them.
was elected to the Senate in 2020 and was a finalist to be Vice President Kamala Harris鈥� running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
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