[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 71 (Thursday, April 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1414]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          RECOGNIZING GIFFORDS

  Mr. MURPHY. Madam President, I rise today to honor the 10-year 
anniversary of an organization that has been instrumental in our 
efforts to protect kids and families from gun violence: Giffords, the 
organization founded by former Congresswoman and gun violence victim, 
Gabby Giffords.
  This anniversary is particularly important to me because Gabby 
Giffords and I were in the same House of Representatives freshman class 
in 2007. Our offices were right next to each other, and we became fast 
friends, dreaming up the idea for supermarket office hours called 
``Congress on Your Corner.'' Four years later, on January 8, 2011, 
Gabby was shot in the head at one of those events. Eighteen others were 
also shot, and six died. She almost lost her life that day and began a 
very long road to recovery.
  But my friend Gabby is a fighter, and she doesn't back down. Two 
years after she was shot and just 25 days after 20 children and six 
educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, she launched an 
organization dedicated to the fight to end gun violence. Today, that 
organization is known as Giffords.
  Giffords and the gun violence prevention movement spent the next 
decade growing stronger, more determined, and more convinced that the 
righteousness of our cause would eventually prevail. Gabby and her 
organization channeled the outrage and frustration of millions 
Americans into action. Across the country, they helped to pass 525 
lifesaving laws that make sure guns only end up in the hands of 
responsible, law-abiding Americans. They took on the gun lobby in State 
legislatures and the courts. They raised awareness, recruited 
volunteers, and registered new voters.
  On May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School, an all too familiar 
tragedy struck, 19 children and 2 teachers shot and killed in their 
classroom. A weary American public once again called on Congress to 
act, and for the first time in 30 years, it did. One month later, 
President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, 
legislation to tighten our gun laws, invest in mental health services, 
and make our schools and communities safer.
  That historic piece of legislation would not have been possible 
without Gabby Giffords. In the face of unimaginable adversity, Gabby 
spent a decade helping to build a gun violence prevention movement more 
powerful than the gun lobby. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is 
just the beginning, and we will keep fighting to end the scourge of gun 
violence in this country together.
  In reflection of Giffords' 10-year anniversary, I ask my colleagues 
to join me in recognizing their tireless advocacy to end gun violence 
and honoring my personal hero, Gabby Giffords.

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