
Gabby Giffords
US rep + gun control advocate
Many feared the worst on Jan. 8, 2011, when a gunman shot Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in the head while she was out meeting with constituents in her Arizona district.
But since that day, Gabby has inspired us all with her dogged determination to reclaim her life and continue in public service. In her own words, she is "better, tougher, stronger."
Her focus now: Americans for Responsible Solutions, an organization she founded with husband Mark Kelly. Its goal is to find ways to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and prevent what happened to her from happening to others.
known for
courageous recovery from assassination attempt
determination to continue public service as an advocate for gun control
2006 | Elected to U.S. Congress as representative for the 8th district of Arizona
2011 | Surprise return to Congress after assassination attempt to vote on debt ceiling bill
2012 | Resigned her seat to concentrate full time on recovery + founded Americans for Responsible Solutions
from | to
small business owner + centrist Arizona Congresswoman | survivor + advocate for gun control
born on
June 8, 1970
born in
Tucson, Arizona
birth name
Gabrielle Dee Giffords
nickname
Gabby
citizen of
United States of America
daughter of
Gloria K. + Spencer J. Giffords
second cousin of
actress Gwyneth Paltrow
lives in
Tucson, Arizona
educated at
Scripps College
Cornell
Fulbright Scholar in Chihuahua, Mexico
loved studying
sociology
Latin American history
urban planning
married to
Mark E. Kelly
~ Navy captain and astronaut ~
advocate for
responsible gun ownership and control
immigration reform
military + their families
in her spare time
biking
racing motorcycles
skydiving
tweets
@gabbygiffords
image credits
United States Congress | Wikimedia Commons |public domain
United States Department of Defense | Defense Imagery | public domain
collapse bio bits"Pursue your passion, and everything else will fall into place. This is not being romantic. This is the highest order of pragmatism."
Scripps commencement address | may 2009
"The safety of the world, in some sense, depends on your saying "no" to inhumane ideas. Standing up for one's own integrity makes you no friends. It is costly. Yet defiance of the mob, in the service of that which is right, is one of the highest expressions of courage I know."
Find the Calling of Your Heart | may 2009
"Nobody ever made a breakthrough creating bland and safe repetitions of what others had done before them."
Find the Calling of Your Heart | may 2009
"Whatever it is that is calling to you, I urge you to ignore the voices that are telling you what you ought to do with your career and your family choices."
Find the Calling of Your Heart | may 2009
"When you tune out the critical voices in your head and embrace what your heart is saying, you don’t just make your own life better. You make the world better."
Find the Calling of Your Heart | may 2009
"You cannot authentically live anyone’s life but your own. That is the deal life offers us."
Find the Calling of Your Heart | may 2009
"Follow the passion inside your heart and listen to its voice above all others . ... What it says to you in the years ahead may surprise you and invert the notions of how you thought your life would turn out."
Find the Calling of Your Heart | may 2009
"I believe we all have courage inside. I wish there was more courage in Congress."
Profiles in Courage Award | may 2013
"Stopping gun violence takes courage—the courage to do what’s right, the courage of new ideas."
national tour to promote tougher gun laws | july 2013
"My spirit's as strong as ever. I'm still fighting to make the world a better place and you can too."
TED talk | march 2014
for further reading about Gabby Giffords:
curated with care by Kathleen Murray {august 2014}
shooting memorial | University Medical Center | Tuscon
A memorial for Gabby Giffords and others shot by gunman in Tucson. She was holding a public meeting with her constituents outside a Safeway supermarket ~ discussing health care when the shooter opened fire. Six people were killed + eighteen injured, including Gabby herself, who was shot in the head
Mike Nelson
CC BY
President Obama embraces Gabby Giffords
Prior to the 2012 State of the Union Address, President Obama embraces Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, just two days after she announced the resignation of her seat from Congress. Giffords formally resigned on January 25, 2012, the day after the State of the Union.
White House | Pete Souza
Public domain
lecture | Be Passionate. Be Courageous. Be Your Best | Gabby Giffords + Mark Kelly | Ted Talks
Gabby Giffords and husband Mark Kelly talk about her recovery and her future.
TED Talks
Gabby campaign event
This Arizona congressperson became an international news story after a 2011 shooting at one of her corner constituent meetings left 6 people dead. Gabby was one of the 18 others who were caught in the crossfire, taking a bullet to the head. Gabby not only recovered from the assassination attempt, she turned her experience into the motivation to create change as a gun-control advocate.
Andrew Brown
CC BY-SA