On the recordJanuary 12, 2011
It is with a heavy heart that I rise this morning to pay tribute to my esteemed colleague from the great state of Arizona, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who with God's grace is still alive and appears to be heading toward a promising recovery. I am grateful to God for His divine intervention in the lives of those 13 other victims who, along with Rep. Giffords, were shot last Saturday at a shopping mall in Rep. Giffords' Tucson, Arizona district. Right now, news accounts indicate that those 13 people will survive their injuries. But, Madam Speaker, six people, including a nine-year-old girl, did not survive last Saturday's gunfire by a young man who, by every account, is clearly mentally unbalanced. It is my opinion that under no set of circumstances should the gunman have been able to purchase a handgun with a 30-round magazine. Today, however, is a day to honor the tragic loss of life that took place last Saturday and to also pray for the continued strength and full recovery of Rep. Giffords and the others who survived.
