Gabby Giffords, just two weeks after the one-year anniversary of the tragic Tucson, Arizona shooting, just announced through this heart-felt video message that she is resigning from Congress to focus on her recovery.
READ: Hate Speech And Shootings: Why Can’t The Right See The Connection?
“Arizona is my home, always will be,” Giffords states. “A lot has happened over the past year. We cannot change that. But I know on the issues we fought for we can change things for the better. Jobs, border security, veterans. We can do so much more by working together.”
The shooting, an attempted assassination of a sitting member of Congress, left six dead — including a nine-year old girl, three women in their seventies, and a federal judge — and 13 wounded, including Giffords, has not changed America’s love of guns, an abusive relationship that leaves 10,000 Americans — including a high-percentage of children — dead each year.
“I don’t remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice,” Giffords continues, her own voiced all but silenced by the bullet from Jared Lee Loughner’s 9mm Glock pistol. “Thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recover. I have more work to do on my recovery so to do what is best for Arizona I will step down this week. I’m getting better. Every day, my spirit is high. I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country. Thank you very much.”
According to Daniel Vice of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, “In a typical weekend in the United States, more people are shot and killed than in an average year in Australia; the same is true in Britain, and other countries that have tougher gun laws.â€
Many believe that Sarah Palin’s notorious “blood libel” response to those attacking her for her crosshairs map of Democrats, including Giffords, was the effective end of any ability she might have had of a presidential campaign for herself.
Unfortunately for Democrats, Arizona’s Republican Governor Jan Brewer presumably will nominate a Republican to fill Gifford’s seat.
Giffords, a moderate, even right-leaning Democrat in an age where right-wing extremism is becoming perceived as centrist, shall be missed. We wish her and her husband Mark, good health, and many fond memories to come.