Exactly three years after being shot in the head by a would-be assassin, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will spend the anniversary skydiving over her beloved borderland.
“Southern Arizona will look beautiful & peaceful from the top of the sky,” Giffords tweeted this morning.
Thanks for the good luck call @VP @JoeBiden. Join me next time? pic.twitter.com/XmcZvDkYZC
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) January 8, 2014In an op-ed in the New York Times, Giffords writes that the mass school shooting at Sandy Hook, Conn. last year motivated her and her husband to start the superPAC Americans for Responsible Solutions and to work on changing gun laws and reducing gun violence “in a way that was consistent with our moderate beliefs and our identities as proud gun owners.”
As we've reported, in recent years Giffords has pushed for gun background checks, expanded resources for mental health and limits on assault weapons.
In her op-ed, Giffords likens the slow progress on these issues to her 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.”
Here are the former congresswoman’s current hopes for progress on gun laws:
“Enhance enforcement by passing a law making gun trafficking a serious crime with stiff penalties. Make it illegal for all stalkers and all domestic abusers to buy guns. Extend mental health resources into schools and communities, so the dangerously mentally ill find it easier to receive treatment than to buy firearms. And even as we lay the groundwork for expanding background checks, pass strong incentives for states to ensure the background-check system contains the records of the most dangerous and violent among us.”
On the anniversary of her shooting, Giffords also announced her crowing personal achievement over the past year. Here’s her tweet: “I can move my arm again. Grit can overcome paralysis.”
