Former Rep. Gabby Giffords returns to House floor on 15th anniversary of shooting

By JONATHAN J. COOPER, Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords returned to the House floor Thursday on the 15th anniversary of the assassination attempt that abruptly ended her promising political career and shocked a nation increasingly plagued by political violence.

Giffords held hands with her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised her congressional service and her steadfast advocacy for tougher gun control measures. She received a standing ovation from a few dozen lawmakers in the chamber, most of them fellow Democrats.

“House Democrats stand with Gabby and with all Americans who say ‘enough is enough,’” Jeffries said, pledging 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 January 8, 2011, while meeting with constituents at a grocery store in Tucson, Arizona. The attack killed six people and injured 12 others 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 suffered from schizophrenia and posted a variety of disjointed, nonsensical conspiracy theories online. 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 a rising tide of violence that has since shadowed American democracy. Notable incidents include the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, two attempts on former President Donald Trump’s life, and the killing last June of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband.

More recently, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking to college students.

After the shooting, Giffords left Congress to focus on her recovery, curtailing a political career that many in Arizona believed would have included runs for governor or the U.S. Senate.

She went on to co-found, along with Kelly, a political group now known simply as GIFFORDS. The organization lobbies for tougher gun laws and works to elect state and federal lawmakers who support stronger gun control measures.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/01/08/congress-giffords/

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