From Tina Burnside
(CNN) — Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly launched a website aimed at curbing gun violence Tuesday, the second anniversary of the mass shooting in Arizona that left her critically wounded.
“Two years ago, a mentally ill young man shot me in the head, killed six of my constituents, and wounded 12 others,” Giffords wrote on the website. “Since that terrible day, America has seen 11 more mass shootings — but no response from Congress to prevent gun violence.”
The website, titled “Americans for Responsible Solutions“, also features an opinion article that the couple penned, which was published by USA Today Tuesday.
“Americans for Responsible Solutions, which we are launching today, will invite people from around the country to join a national conversation about gun violence prevention, will raise the funds necessary to balance the influence of the gun lobby,” the article said.
The move comes after Giffords and Kelly last week visited families mourning in Newtown, Connecticut, after December’s mass shooting. A gunman killed 27 people, most of them young children, and himself in a spate of violence that stunned the nation and ignited a national debate about guns.
During the trip to Newtown, the couple met with local and state leaders to discuss gun control legislation, mental health identification and treatment.
Giffords retired from Congress last year to focus on her recovery after she was shot in the head in January 2011.
She was one of 19 people shot at a political event at a shopping plaza in Tucson, Arizona, and spent months relearning how to speak and walk. Six people died in the encounter, including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge.
The-CNN-Wire/Atlanta
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