Gabby Giffords Speaks in West Hartford for 'Protect All Women Tour'

Former U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords stopped by West Hartford Thursday as part of her national, nine-state “Protect All Women Tour.”

Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt when she was shot in the head in January 2011 in Arizona and has become a nationally known advocate for stronger state and federal gun laws, spoke at the Kingswood Oxford School on Thursday.

Giffords held a one-hour roundtable discussion with advocates and then made a surprise visit to a group of senior honors students at the private school with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, according to the Hartford Courant.

Giffords told the students, “I’m still fighting to make the world a better place, and you can, too. Get involved with your community. Set an example. Be passionate. Be courageous. Be your best,’’ according to the Courant.

Read more at the Hartford Courant here.

Giffords, who is still undergoing speech therapy and physical therapy as part of her recovery, is the co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions.

She formed the #ProtectAllWomen Leadership Network along with other national women leaders to educate state and federal leaders on the need for solutions that protect women from gun violence. Representing a broad cross section of the gun violence prevention, domestic violence prevention, and women’s advocacy movements, the group is working for action at the state and federal levels in the 2015 legislative sessions, according to the Americans for Responsible Solutions website.

”Dangerous people who get their hands on guns are a threat to women, families, and our communities,” Giffords said via americansforresponsiblesolutions.org. “The number of women dying from gun violence has become a national shame. That’s why gun violence is a women’s issue. Leaders from across the country – Republicans and Democrats – must come together and help make women safer from gun violence. It is time to act. Women’s lives are at stake.”

Read more here.

Image courtesy of Gabby Giffords Facebook page

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