Topic: Gabrielle Giffords

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Opinion 6 reasons why President Obama will defeat the NRA and win universal background checks

Something is going to happen this session in the US Congress that hasn’t happened in more than a decade: The National Rifle Association (NRA) is going to lose on a top priority issue. Here are six reasons why President Obama will win a victory on universal background checks.

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Decoder Wire Gun control: Can Gabby Giffords win over gun owners by firing off some shots?

Her campaign to bring gun owners under the gun control banner created the jarring image of Gabby Giffords firing a gun at a Las Vegas range, the first time she has done so since being shot more than two years ago.
Newtown photos barred: Did lawmakers balance privacy, public's right to know? (+video)

The Connecticut legislature passed a bill Wednesday restricting the release of crime-scene photos of the Newtown victims. The law brought relief to family members, but it's also prompted concerns among civil liberties groups.
Tucson photos released of Gabrielle Giffords shooting

Tucson photos released: More than 600 police photos were released Tuesday of the 2011 Tucson shooting that wounded 19 people and killed six others.
Gabrielle Giffords receives Profile in Courage award

The John F. Kennedy Library awarded the 2013 Profile in Courage award to former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, in recognition of the political, personal, and physical courage she has demonstrated in her fearless public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence.
Decoder Wire Gun control forces take fight to New Hampshire, Sen. Kelly Ayotte

Gun control advocates are taking their message to the states, through ads, town hall meetings, and shaming campaigns. They poked Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) of New Hampshire on Tuesday.
Boston bomber defense: Suspect's defense team gets major boost with Clarke

Judy Clarke's clients have included the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, who killed three people and injured 23 during a nationwide bombing spree between 1978 and 1995; Susan Smith, a woman who famously drowned her two children; Atlanta Olympics bomber Eric Rudolph; and most recently Jared Loughner, who shot former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head.
Gun vote backlash: Five senators who said 'no' see ratings plunge

Approval ratings have plummeted for five senators who voted against expanded background checks for gun buyers, says a PPP survey. But only one is up for reelection in 2014. Will it still matter in 2016 or 2018?
Decoder Wire Gun control: Three ways supporters are carrying on the fight

While gun control proponents may have conceded defeat in the Senate, they insist the war isn’t over. President Obama himself said he saw the defeat as just Round 1.
'Shame on you!' Gun vote shamed by Obama, Giffords, Maisch

'Shame' was the word of the day after the U.S. Senate failed to pass gun control legislation yesterday. A spectator in the gallery yelled out 'Shame on you!' while President Obama referred to the vote as 'pretty shameful' and Rep. Gabby Giffords wrote 'Shame on them' in an op-ed about the senators.
Obama goes from scolder in Washington to comforter in Boston

In Washington, President Obama is locked in a battle with many voices in Congress over gun control, but at a moment of national tragedy, such as the Boston Marathon bombings, the president stands alone.
Decoder Wire After Senate defeats, prospects for gun control shift to states

The failure of the Senate to pass even gun control measures that had overwhelming public support signals that the clout of the gun lobby is powerful enough to block reform on Capitol Hill.
Opinion Why the 90 percent lost on gun background checks

The Senate defeated background checks for gun sales, despite 90 percent of Americans favoring broader checks. The simplest explanation for this is Senate procedures, but NRA intensity counts for a lot. The way ahead for gun control groups is to match the NRA email for email.
Senate's failure to pass meaningful gun control 'shameful,' Obama says (+video)

The Senate on Wednesday failed to get the 60 votes necessary to pass a bipartisan bill that would have expanded gun-control background checks to gun shows and Internet sales.
Decoder Wire Four reasons the Senate gun control bill may be kaput

The Senate is slated to vote Wednesday on nine gun control provisions, but prospects for passage for several – including expanding background checks to more gun buyers – look dim. Here's why.
Monitor Breakfast Mark Kelly on gun control bill: 'We do have a problem' with many senators

The husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an advocate of stricter gun laws, warned a fellow Arizonan of repercussions at the ballot box if he votes against a gun control measure to expand background checks. A lot of senators, said Mark Kelly, want a reason 'to get to no.'
Colorado gun control: Can state with pro-gun past enact new restrictions?

Colorado has a cultural history of gun ownership. It was also the site of two high-profile shootings. Five gun-control proposals are now moving through the Democratic-majority legislature.
Democrats from rural areas face pressure from pro-gun constituents

Democratic senators from mostly rural areas in the West and South must walk a fine line between party loyalty and constituents' wishes when it comes to gun control legislation.
Bloomberg vs. NRA: Big spending could swing Illinois race (+video)

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 'super PAC' is spending $2.1 million to defeat a pro-gun candidate in the race to replace Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. It's part of his broader attack on NRA power.
Gun raffles stoke debate after Conn. shooting

Gun giveaways are an attractive way to make money or draw in customers. But in the wake of the shooting rampage in a Connecticut school, such raffles are drawing criticism.
President Obama's State of the Union address full text

The text of the State of the Union address as prepared for delivery by President Barack Obama, and provided by the press office of the White House.
Obama's State of the Union address both bold and modest (+video)

Little in the president's State of the Union address was new – he's touched on the ideas many times before – but he didn't seem to be in a mood to bow to Republicans.
Decoder Wire State of the Union: Who's coming besides Ted Nugent?

In the audience for Obama's State of the Union speech will be several Americans touched by gun violence and a group of undocumented immigrants – human reminders of the president's coming legislative challenges.
Monitor Breakfast NRA president: Foes using 'emotion' of Newtown shootings to spur gun control (+video)

Opponents of the National Rifle Association 'hope to use emotion' to achieve an 'antifirearm agenda' in the wake of the school shootings last month in Newtown, Conn., NRA President David Keene said Thursday.

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Chicago shooting: A case of 'mistaken identity'?

Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teenager, was shot on Tuesday by a bullet police believe was intended for someone else. Gun violence in Chicago appears to be on the rise. In the meantime, legislators discussed gun laws in Washington on Wednesday.
The Monitor's View Answers to gun violence may lie in nonsmoking campaigns

Even as a Senate hearing on gun violence draws ideas from both Gabrielle Giffords and the NRA, a lesson in curbing a risky product like guns can be found in the recent history of nonsmoker rights.