“Move ahead. Do not look back,” was former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords’ advice for when things get difficult. Giffords survived an assassination attempt, which was part of a mass shooting that killed six people, in 2011. Giffords, a Democrat, has since worked toward the prevention of gun violence and the passing of gun safety laws.
Giffords spoke as part of a Gun Violence Prevention town hall in Thornton on Wednesday, organized by proponents of gun safety laws and opponents of U.S. Rep. Gave Evans (R-CO), who represents the congressional district where the event was held.
The panel also featured Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Colorado House Majority Leader Monica Duran (D-Wheat Ridge), and Giffords’ Vice President of Government and Political Affairs Vanessa Gonzalez. It was moderated by Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib.
“In many of the townhalls that I’m having recently there are a lot of people that are saying, ‘How do I even get up every day to continue this battle?’” Bennet told the crowd of about 100 people. “You know, how do we give hope to the next generation of Americans? And I think Gabby, because of her willingness to keep continuing to travel, to speak out, to fight, and lead the battle that she has led all these years, should be an inspiration to every one of us. I know that she is, and we need that inspiration in these times.”
He added, “There’s so much more to do … to get these weapons of war off our streets and the day that that finally happens, we will have Gabby Giffords to thank.”
Duran: “Gabe Evans, What Are You Thinking?”
Duran reflected on recent budget cuts, recalling her experiences as a domestic violence victim, a homeless single mother, and a survivor of gun intimidation.
“I know that when you go through any one of those life experiences, you rely on counseling, mental health counseling, you rely on different services,” said Duran. “These cuts are gonna impact the ability for those who have gone through what I’ve gone through to be able to access the services that they need. And what I have often asked myself since this bill was passed to Gabe Evans, What are you thinking? What are you thinking when you’re thinking about your district, your constituents, the very people you represent? How does this even make sense?”
Duran later added, “I want us to remind Gabe Evans that he’s not doing his job and he needs to be fired from his job, and we need to take that seat back and we need to make sure that everyone else in the nation understands that Colorado knows what it takes to lead and to just listen to our communities”
The specter of school shootings was present throughout the town hall.
Giffords shared that her granddaughter went through her first lockdown drill when she was just 2 years old. Gonzalez said, as the mother of a 13-year-old girl, “I hate that she has to continuously, since she started school, go through these horrible active shooter drills. They have taken a mental toll on her and her classmates. The anxiety is through the roof.” And Bennet stated, “I’ll never forget standing on the Senate floor … after Sandy Hook and there were kids sitting and their families sitting up there, and more than ten years later, they’re still coming back because the work isn’t done yet.”
Bennet looked toward the future, saying, “We start building right now until next November to make sure that at a minimum, we get the House of Representatives back at the national level. We have to do that.” He added, “The work starts now.”
Erik Silva, a former member of the military, was present in the crowd. He said he was there to support his elected officials and because he “knows what Giffords went through,” adding, “Gun control and gun rights is not a taboo topic.” He said he supports “common sense laws” like licensing, pointing out that people need a license to drive a car.
Toward the end of the evening, Giffords encouraged everyone in the audience to “be a leader. Set an example. Be compassionate. Be courageous. Be your best.”
