WASHINGTON (AP) — A former aide says Gabrielle Giffords has been working for the past week on the statement she delivered today to a Senate hearing on gun violence.
Giffords spoke just 80 words from a prepared statement, urging lawmakers to be "bold" and "courageous" in confronting gun violence. The former congresswoman is continuing to recover from the shooting more than two years ago in Tucson that left six people dead.
She spoke slowly, pronouncing each syllable with deliberation. She said, "Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying." Giffords told senators, "It will be hard, but the time is now. You must act."
Her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, then gently guided her from the table, before returning to deliver his own testimony. He told the panel that his wife's "gift for speech is a distant memory." He said, "She struggles to walk, and she is partially blind."
Giffords' former chief of staff says the former congresswoman didn't decide to go through with today's appearance until last night. Pia Carusone says Giffords "made such progress recently that she felt she was up for it."
After delivering the statement, Giffords and Kelly went to the White House and met privately with President Barack Obama.
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144-a-12-(Gabrielle Giffords, shooting survivor and former member of Congress, in remarks at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun control)-"must do something"-Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords appeals for action on gun violence. (30 Jan 2013)
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146-a-09-(Gabrielle Giffords, shooting survivor and former member of Congress, in remarks at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun control)-"counting on you"-Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says the country needs Congress to act on gun control. (30 Jan 2013)
<<CUT *146 (01/30/13)>> 00:09 "counting on you"
GRAPHICSBANK: Gabrielle Giffords headshot, former US Representative of Arizona, appearing at Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence, Washington, DC, on texture, partial graphic (30 Jan 2013)
APPHOTO DCSW101: Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously injured in the mass shooting that killed six people in Tucson, Ariz. two years ago, sits with her husband Mark Kelly, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (30 Jan 2012)
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APPHOTO DCSA101: Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously injured in the mass shooting that killed six people in Tucson, Ariz. two years ago, arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, for a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence. She is escorted by her husband, Mark Kelly, right, a retired astronaut, Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., second from left, and the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, left. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (30 Jan 2013)
<<APPHOTO DCSA101 (01/30/13)>>
