Opening the gun violence hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who sustained a gunshot to the head in a January 2011 assassination attempt at the Tucson town hall, urged that more legislative action is needed to prevent further gun violence in America. The hearing pitted different perspectives on the ever-heated and topical gun debate in America.
"Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important," she began her statement. "Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something. We must do something," she said, looking up at the senators. "It will be hard. But the time is now. You must act. Be bold. Be courageous. Americans are counting on you."
Giffords and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, were escorted to the witness table by the committee's chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Giffords was not originally scheduled on the publicly released list of witnesses, and was given a considerable show of respect as members of the committee greeted her outside the hearing room, according to witnesses present. After her brief appearance, Giffords was escorted out of the committee room. Kelly also testified, calling for increased actions on background checks.
In the aftermath of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, President Barack Obama has issued a renewed call for gun control legislation.
Giffords underwent a lengthy rehabilitation process and has regained some ability to speak, but has retired from Congress. A gun owner, she and her husband Kelly, a retired astronaut, have formed a political action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions to back lawmakers who support tighter gun restrictions.
The National Rifle Association's CEO Wayne LaPierre, also present at the hearing, argued against increasing regulations on gun ownership.
"Proposing more gun control law, while failing to enforce the thousands we already have, is not a serious solution to reducing crime," he said. "Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals. Nor do we believe the government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families."
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