By Bill Theobald
USA Today
October 8, 2015
WASHINGTON — Former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot and seriously wounded in 2011, is planning a new initiative to address gun violence against women and families.
The Women’s Coalition for Common Sense will feature a national advisory committee that includes former secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman, former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, and actresses Connie Britton and Alyssa Milano, among others.
Giffords is hosting a daylong “Domestic Violence Awareness Summit” in Washington on Wednesday that is expected to draw more than 100 women from across the country. The new coalition will be announced at the event.
Giffords survived an assassination attempt on Jan. 8, 2011, during a constituent event at a Tucson supermarket. Six people were killed and another 13 were injured.
Giffords suffered a severe brain injury during the shootout, and she resigned from the House in January 2012.
In January 2013, she and husband and space shuttle astronaut Mark E. Kelly formed a political action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions to promote gun control legislation with elected officials and the general public.
The PAC raised more than $20 million in the 2013-2014 election cycle and $3.4 million in the first six months of this year.