Former congressional representative Gabrielle Giffords was a first-hand victim of gun violence when she was shot at point blank range three years ago. The gunman left Giffords in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head, and killed six others in the 2011 attack. Giffords wrote Wednesday, in an op-ed commemorating the third anniversary of the horrific event:
We’re not daunted. We know that the gun lobby, which makes money by preventing sensible change, relies on dramatic disappointments to wound us, reduce our power, push us back on our heels.
Our fight is a lot more like my rehab. Every day, we must wake up resolved and determined. We’ll pay attention to the details; look for opportunities for progress, even when the pace is slow. Some progress may seem small, and we might wonder if the impact is enough, when the need is so urgent.But every day we will recruit a few more allies, talk to a few more elected officials, convince a few more voters. Some days the steps will come easily; we’ll feel the wind at our backs. Other times our knees will buckle. We’ll tire of the burden. I know this feeling. But we’ll persist.
We can get tough and win elections. We’ll support our allies. And those who stood in the way will face a powerful advocacy community standing between them and re-election.
She tweeted a link to the article, writing:
Three years after the shooting that almost took my life, I can move my arm again. Grit can overcome paralysis. http://t.co/LuDvqDajO0
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) January 8, 2014
Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly started a political action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions in January 2013, supporting Americans’ Second Amendment rights while proposing such gun control tactics as limiting the sale of high-capacity magazines, limiting the sale of assault weapons, and ending gun trafficking.