Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is expected to testify Wednesday at a Senate hearing on gun violence, lending the emotional resonance of her experience with the issue to what had already promised to be a dramatic exchange between lawmakers and advocates for and against stricter gun-control laws.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its first hearing on gun-related violence in 14 months on Wednesday morning, and observers expect that it will help set the tone for congressional debates over legislation introduced in the wake of the deadly shooting last month at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., that killed 26 people, including 20 young children.
Giffords, who was shot in January 2011 at point-blank range at an event in Tucson and suffered brain damage, is expected to testify alone at a witness table and take no questions from senators, according to a person familiar with her plans who was not authorized to talk publicly about them and spoke on the condition of anonymity. After Giffords leaves, five other invited witnesses — including Giffords’s husband, Mark Kelly — are expected to testify.
Giffords and Kelly are gun owners and support the Second Amendment, but this month they launched their own political group to take on the National Rifle Association and push for a new assault-weapons ban, universal background checks to close the “gun-show loophole,” and a ban on high-capacity magazines like the one used to kill six people and wound Giffords and 13 others in the Tucson shooting.
Since the shooting, Giffords has made limited public appearances and has sat for just two interviews with ABC News. She met with family members of the Newtown shooting victims this month before launching her new political organization.
On Tuesday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) said he expects that the hearing will help senators draft a bill that could eventually be voted on by the full Senate.
“I’m tired about all the people who keep talking about all the legislation they have; I thought it might be nice for someone to actually have a hearing and do some legislation,” Leahy said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), reaffirming his support for the process, said Tuesday that “I’m going to do everything within my power to bring legislation dealing with gun and violence generally to the floor.”
Also testifying Wednesday will be NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, who is expected to tell lawmakers that the nation’s gun owners will oppose any attempts to pass new gun-control laws.
The NRA released LaPierre’s prepared testimony Tuesday. He is expected to restate the group’s opposition to a new federal ban on military-style assault weapons and federal background checks for most, if not all, firearms buyers.
“Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals,” LaPierre’s prepared testimony states. “Nor do we believe the government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families.”
Gabrielle Giffords to testify at Senate hearing on gun violence
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Gabrielle Giffords to testify at Senate hearing on gun violence
