Former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Thursday told a Republican congressman to “have some courage” and “face your constituents” after he expressed concerns about “public safety” at town hall events with angry protesters.
“To the politicians who have abandoned their civic obligations, I say this: have some courage. Face your constituents. Hold town halls,” Giffords said.
Giffords was shot in 2011 during a constituent event in a grocery store parking lot.
In a news release sent by her anti-gun violence organization Americans for Responsible Solutions, Giffords singled out Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, who cited Giffords’ shooting on Thursday as an example of the “public safety” risk he and others face when they attend events in their districts and states.
“Unfortunately, at this time there are groups from the more violent strains of the leftist ideology, some even being paid, who are preying on public town halls to wreak havoc and threaten public safety. Threats are nothing new to me and I have gotten my share as a felony judge,” Gohmert wrote in a Thursday letter. “However, the House Sergeant at Arms advised us after former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot at a public appearance, that civilian attendees at Congressional public events stand the most chance of being harmed or killed—just as happened there.”
Gohmert said he finds telephone town halls to be more effective than in-person ones because he can speak with thousands by phone instead of up to 100 at a physical meeting.
“I was shot on a Saturday morning,” Giffords said in the statement. “By Monday morning my offices were open to the public. Ron Barber – at my side that Saturday, who was shot multiple times, then elected to Congress in my stead – held town halls. It’s what the people deserve in a representative.”
She added: “Town halls and countless constituent meetings were a hallmark of my tenure in Congress. It’s how I was able to serve the people of southern Arizona. I believed that listening to my constituents was the most basic and core tenant of the job I was hired to do.”
