Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords testifies before Senate Judiciary Committee, Jan. 30, 2013.Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Wednesday that release of the Sheriff's Department's investigative records about the Jan. 8, 2011 shooting in Tucson show Jared Loughner "should never have had access to a gun."
Giffords, who was shot through the head and eventually left her seat in Congress as a result, released a statement through her political action committee, Americans for Responsible Solutions, which is lobbying for changes in federal gun laws.
"The details released today regarding the shooting in Tucson reaffirm what this country already knew: The mentally disturbed young man who shot me and murdered six should never have had access to a gun," the statement from Giffords said.
"No one piece of legislation will end all gun violence, just like no one piece of legislation would have prevented the Tucson shooting. However, I hope that commonsense policies like universal background checks become part of our history, just like the Tucson shootings are - our communities will be safer because of it.
"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of all who were at the Congress on Your Corner event with me, and all who were affected by the shooting, and give thanks for the bravery of all the first responders who tried to limit the carnage and protect human life that day."
Six people were killed on Jan. 8, 2011, including one of Giffords' aides, a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl. Giffords and 12 others were wounded, including her then district office manager, Ron Barber, who subsequently was elected to fill the seat she held in Congress.
More than two years after the shooting, Giffords has trouble walking and talking as a result of her injury. She and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, have campaigned actively for gun control legislation, including appearances before Congress.
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