Gabby Giffords

Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician and activist. She served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Arizona's 8th congressional district from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned due to a severe brain injury suffered during an assassination attempt. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Giffords graduated from Scripps College and Cornell University. After initially moving to New York City, where she worked in regional economic development for Price Waterhouse, she returned to Arizona to work as the CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a family business started by her grandfather. She served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 until 2003 and the Arizona Senate from 2003 until 2005 when she was elected to the U.S. House.

Giffords had just begun her third Congressional term in January 2011 when she was shot in the head in an assassination attempt and mass shooting near Tucson during an event with constituents. Giffords has since recovered much of her ability to walk, speak, read, and write. She was greeted by a standing ovation upon her return to the House floor in August 2011. She attended President Obama's State of the Union address on January 24, 2012, and appeared on the floor of the House the following day, at which time she formally submitted her resignation, receiving a standing ovation and accolades from her colleagues and the leadership of the House.

A moderate in Congress, Giffords has devoted her post-Congressional life to advocating for gun violence prevention and gun safety laws. In January 2013, she and her husband launched Americans for Responsible Solutions, a non-profit organization and super-PAC that later merged with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to become the organization known as Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. She is married to former Space Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly, who is the senior senator from Arizona.