Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly launch battle against gun lobby: No more 'fear'

[teko]

(CNN) -- Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly have launched what they hope will mark a new era in the battle over gun rights in America.
On the second anniversary of a mass shooting in Arizona that wounded Giffords and killed six others, the couple launched a political action committee, Americans for Responsible Solutions, along with a website calling for contributions to help "encourage elected officials to stand up for solutions to prevent gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership."
In an op-ed in USA Today, the two make their goal clear: to counter the influence of the gun lobby.
"Special interests purporting to represent gun owners but really advancing the interests of an ideological fringe have used big money and influence to cow Congress into submission," they write.
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"Rather than working to find the balance between our rights and the regulation of a dangerous product, these groups have cast simple protections for our communities as existential threats to individual liberties. Rather than conducting a dialogue, they threaten those who divert from their orthodoxy with political extinction."
Emphasizing that they support the Second Amendment and own two guns themselves, Giffords and Kelly call for "laws to require responsible gun ownership and reduce gun violence."
"Until now, the gun lobby's political contributions, advertising and lobbying have dwarfed spending from anti-gun violence groups. No longer. With Americans for Responsible Solutions engaging millions of people about ways to reduce gun violence and funding political activity nationwide, legislators will no longer have reason to fear the gun lobby."
Bloomberg anti-gun ad marks anniversary of Arizona shooting
Legislators will no longer have reason to fear the gun lobby.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/08/us/giffords-website/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[rivll]

I agree. There needs to be a bipartisan, comprehensive plan to address all aspects of gun control and mass murder. I mean we need to look at the issues of mental health and extreme violence in the media as well as dealing with the way the press often ends up glorifying these killers, making them a sort of anti-hero..I know some will cry out "free speech!" but it can be compared to calling out "fire" in a crowded theater. Some regulations need to be carefully put in place to avoid the feeding frenzy that I think encourages the madness and violence..
If some won't agree to it because of the assault ban or free speech issue then proceed with the points people agree on in the meantime.
I know I am naive about how politics work but I am watching so much of this country at a standstill on so many issues because we cannot all agree on everything.

[teko]

I personally think making gun owners more responsible for having a weapon, and being liable for that weapon is a start. If someone gets hold of your gun and commits a crime with it, it had better have been reported stolen. I hope they come up with some solutions, when 26 people get mowed down, 18 of those babies, we got to address the whole situation and nothing should be off the table imo.

[rivll]

Either way, that will be a problem. Maybe they should have stiffer laws for felons caught with guns.

[brice1967]

The only problem with this is that you won't get criminals to comply.

[rivll]

Emphasizing that they support the Second Amendment and own two guns themselves, Giffords and Kelly call for "laws to require responsible gun ownership and reduce gun violence."
"Until now, the gun lobby's political contributions, advertising and lobbying have dwarfed spending from anti-gun violence groups. No longer. With Americans for Responsible Solutions engaging millions of people about ways to reduce gun violence and funding political activity nationwide, legislators will no longer have reason to fear the gun lobby."

This is what piques my interest. Not to ban guns but to find solutions to reduce gun violence. It may be tighter controls, better background information on who can own a gun as well as background info. on ppl in the home who will have access to the gun. Serious training so some fool doesn't end up shooting himself or his kid accidentally. Of course I am still against assault weapons, but addressing who can have a gun and the training involved is a good start in my opinion.

[teko]

Giffords' remarkable recovery after being shot in the head has inspired many across the political spectrum. She told ABC she's doing physical therapy, yoga, and speech therapy, and working with a service dog. She has also been able to begin some outdoor activities.
The tragedy two years ago thrust her and her husband into a new kind of spotlight. Tuesday marks a moment in which they are turning all that focus and attention -- as well as their passionate calls for stricter gun control -- into a political movement.
"We can't be naive about what it will take to achieve the most common-sense solutions," they wrote in their op-ed. "We can't just hope that the last shooting tragedy will prevent the next. Achieving reforms to reduce gun violence and prevent mass shootings will mean matching gun lobbyists in their reach and resources."
"We have experienced too much death and hurt to remain idle. Our response to the Newtown massacre must consist of more than regret, sorrow and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve fellow citizens and leaders who have the will to prevent gun violence in the future."