Giffords renews calls for gun reform after Uvalde: ‘Now is the time to come together’

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) renewed her calls for gun reform after 19 children and two adults were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last month.

The former representative, who has been a victim of gun violence, said Tuesday that “now is the time to come together, be responsible.”

Giffords was seriously injured following a shooting in Tucson in 2011. She was shot in the head while speaking to constituents. Six people died following the attack, while Giffords and 12 others were wounded.

“Stopping gun violence takes courage, the courage to do what’s right. Courage, new ideas. I’ve seen great courage when my life was on the line,” Giffords said at a gun violence memorial event. 

“Now is the time to come together, be responsible. Democrats, Republicans, everyone. We must never stop fighting. Fight, fight, fight. Be bold, be courageous. The nation’s counting on you.”

Gifford’s comments mark her first public appearance since the Uvalde shooting took place last month.

During the shooting, an 18-year-old suspect opened fire inside Robb Elementary School classrooms. More than an hour passed between the time when the suspect, Salvador Ramos, entered the school, and when he was directly confronted by law enforcement.

Giffords created a gun violence advocacy group called Giffords alongside her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and has previously backed efforts on gun control reform.

“Now is the time to come together and be responsible. Democrats, Republicans, everyone,” she said in 2015 on Capitol Hill to support legislation that would have closed certain loopholes on buying firearms. “We must never stop fighting. Fight! Fight! Fight!”

A bipartisan group of senators are in talks to put forward gun control legislation, though it’s unclear if their negotiations will bear fruit. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said last week that a gun package would be moved this week.