Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly spoke out Monday in favor of tighter gun laws in the wake of the Las Vegas shooting late Sunday night.
“The nation is counting on you,” Giffords said in her brief remarks outside the Capitol, holding up her fist as she spoke.
Giffords was shot in the head at 2011 at a constituent event, by a man who killed six others there and wounded a dozen more. Since then, Giffords and Kelly have spoken out in favor of gun control.
“What we’re hearing from the White House are thoughts and prayers … but they are not enough,” Kelly said.
Kelly said that the House is actively trying to weaken gun laws in the U.S., and echoed comments made by former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton by saying things could have been a lot worse in Las Vegas if the shooter had a “silencer.”
Kelly downplayed the idea he was politicizing the shooting.
“Don’t let anyone tell you not to talk about politics when you talk about guns,” Kelly added. “If not now, when?”
He called on Congress to establish a special commission to look into gun violence.
Giffords and Kelly were in the area to campaign for Virgina Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam’s gubernatorial campaign.
