Shot politician backs gun laws

Giffords, who was grievously wounded in an assassination attempt in Arizona two years ago, was a surprise witness for Congress’s first gun control hearing since the shooting at a Connecticut elementary school last last year, in which 20 young children died.

“Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important,” she said. “Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying — too many children. We must do something.”

Ms Giffords and her husband, former astronaut and retired Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, who are both gun owners, have formed a political action committee to back politicians who support tighter gun restrictions and counter the influence of the NRA.