Former U.S. Rep.Β Gabby GiffordsΒ returned to the House floor Thursday on the 15th anniversary of theΒ assassination attemptΒ 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.Β Mark Kelly, as House Minority LeaderΒ Hakeem JeffriesΒ lauded her congressional service and herΒ advocacyΒ for tougher gun control measures. She received a standing ovation from a few dozen lawmakers in the chamber, most of them fellow Democrats.
Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband Sen. Mark Kelly chat at the Capitol with Sen. Ruben Gallego Thursday during her return to the House floor.
βHouse Democrats stand with Gabby and with all Americans who say βenough is enough,ββ 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 northwest Tucson. Six were killed and 12 injured in addition to Giffords, who was left with limited motion on one side and aphasia, a verbal disability.
Former U.S. Congressman Ron Barber, a survivor of the 2011 shooting, is interviewed Β Thursday following a memorial event in Tucson.
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 theΒ U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021,Β two attemptsΒ on Donald Trump's life, and the killingΒ last JuneΒ of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband.
More recently, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated whileΒ talking to college students.
Giffords left CongressΒ after the shootingΒ 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.
Carol Dorushka, left, a survivor of the Jan. 8 attack, and her friend Jennifer Bond explore the Embrace Memorial in downtown Tucson Thursday following a memorial ceremony.
She went on to create, along with Kelly, a political group β now known as GIFFORDS β that lobbies for tougher gun laws and works to elect state and federal lawmakers who will support them.
KellyΒ was elected to the Senate in 2020 and was a finalist to be Vice President Kamala Harrisβ running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
