Giffords attack sparks gun control fight

Accused gunman's family 'so very sorry' for shootings
Provide feedback to the multimedia producers. Thank you. Your feedback was successfully sent. Video will begin in 5 seconds. What type of connection do you have? Your video format settings have been saved. President Obama says the US continues to grieve the shooting in Arizona which left six people dead. The family of accused Tucson gunman Jared Loughner has apologised to the relatives of those he is accused of gunning down, saying in a first statement since the shooting, "we are so very sorry f...

Arizona trauma surgeon unfazed by shooting
TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - The head of the trauma team that fought to save the lives of Arizona Shooting Victims on Saturday may lack swagger, but not confidence. When word came that a gunman had opened fire at a Tucson Shopping Mall and that Victims including the local Congresswoman were on the way to his Hospital, University Medical Center Trauma Unit chief Peter Rhee's reaction was understated. "I thought my weekend was going to be busy," said Rhee, a combat Veteran who worked in frontline ...

In Arizona, Obama to honor memories, speak of hope
WASHINGTON—Under high expectations to provide healing, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will try to convert the horror of the Arizona shootings into a moment of national unity, centering his memorial Speech in Tucson on the lives of the Victims and the heroism of those who rushed to stop the madness. The president was crafting his Speech on Tuesday, and his aides were reluctant to discuss it even broadly in its unfinished form, other than to say it will emphasize the memories of those ...

In Arizona, Obama to honor memories, speak of hope (AP)
WASHINGTON – Under high expectations to provide healing, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will try to convert the horror of the Arizona shootings into a moment of national unity, centering his memorial Speech in Tucson on the lives of the Victims and the heroism of those who rushed to stop the madness. The president was crafting his Speech on Tuesday, and his aides were reluctant to discuss it even broadly in its unfinished form, other than to say it will emphasize the memories of tho...

Republican reacts to AZ tragedy by introducing new gun control legislation
In order to take advantage of a high-profile current event, Peter King, New York's 3rd Congressional District representative, is planning to introduce new gun-control Legislation.  In his own words,  "....as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Illegal Guns, I will be introducing legislation that would make it illegal to knowingly carry a gun within a 1,000 feet of certain high-profile government officials.” This legislation,...

Congress readies new gun-control bills after Gabrielle Giffords shooting
Congressional advocates of Gun Control are preparing Legislation to renew a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines of the sort suspected used in last Saturday’s shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona shooting: How safe are members of Congress? Such a ban was in effect between 1994 and 2004 as part of a ban on assault weapons, which also expired. Since then, clips such as those allegedly used by suspect Jared Loughner, which contained more than 30 rounds, have been available for purc...

New gun control legislation in Congress unlikely
Washington (CNN) - Accused gunman Jared Lee Loughner opened fire with a gun using a magazine holding up to 30 bullets before he was tackled while trying to reload. Some Democrats in Congress argue such high capacity magazines should not be legal, and are renewing their push for a ban. "That enabled him to do the kind of damage that he did. There is no earthly reason for these weapons to have that kind of bullet capacity," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey. In 1994, President Clinton signe...

Poll: In the Wake of Arizona Shootings, Americans Split on Gun Control
(Credit: CBS) CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. In the wake of Saturday's shootings in Tucson, Arizona, Americans are split over whether Gun Control laws should be made stricter, according to a new CBS News Poll. According to the poll, 47 percent of Americans believe that Gun Control laws should be more stringent in the wake of the Arizona shootings. Meanwhile, 36 percent believed the laws should remain the ...

Jared Loughner release Statement
Jared Loughner's family releases statement: Just released! "This is a very difficult time for us. We ask the media to respect our Privacy. There are no words that can possibly express how we feel. We wish that there were, so we could make you feel better. We don't understand why this happened. It may not make any difference, but we wish that we could change the heinous events Saturday. We care very deeply about the Victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss. Examiner.com is...

Family of alleged shooter releases statement
The family of the alleged shooter of an Arizona congresswoman and more than a dozen others released a statement Tuesday. The family of Jared Lee Loughner released a written statement to the press in outside their house in Tuscon asking that the press respect their Privacy. Loughner is the primary suspect in the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and twenty others. "This is a very difficult time for us. We ask the media to respect our privacy," the statement, published online by th...

Jared Loughner's Family Issues Statement, Giffords Remains Critical (LIVE UPDATES)
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The parents of a man charged with trying to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords are devastated and guilt-ridden, a neighbor said, mourning their own tragedy as Tucson residents prepared Tuesday for a community memorial service and a visit from the president. (SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE UPDATES) Jared Loughner's mother has been in bed, crying nonstop since the shooting rampage on Saturday, neighbor Wayne Smith, 70, told KPHO-TV. Amy and Randy Loughner want to know where they went wr...

Jared Loughner's Parents Express Sorrow
The parents of Jared Loughner, accused of the Arizona shootings, have released a statement. There are no words that can possibly express how we feel. We wish that there were, so we could make you feel better. We don’t understand why this happened. It may not make any difference, but we wish that we could change the heinous events of Saturday. We care very deeply about the Victims and their families. We are so sorry for their loss.” More former friends of Loughner are coming forwar...

Family of Ariz. mass shooting suspect speaks
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The family of the 22-year-old suspect in the Mass Shooting in Arizona is expressing sorrow for what they called heinous events. The family of Jared Loughner said in statement Tuesday that they care very deeply about the Victims and their families and that there were no words that could express how they feel. The statement handed to reporters outside the Loughners house is their first public remarks. Jared Loughner is accused of killing six people and gravely injuring R...

Rep. King Explains His 'Thousand-Foot' Gun Restriction
After huddling with detectives and security experts over the weekend, Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican, decided to respond to the Tucson tragedy with a legislative proposal: make it illegal to carry a firearm within 1,000 feet of a federal official. In an interview with National Review Online, King explained his rationale and defended the measure’s constitutionality, calling it a “reasonable restriction.”  King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committe...

Rep. Giffords' condition improves after shooting
TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - Representative Gabrielle Giffords is breathing on her own and doctors on Tuesday were hopeful about her recovery from a head wound suffered in an Arizona Shooting Spree that killed six people. Giffords, a popular 40-year-old Democrat, is still in critical condition at a Tucson Hospital but is "holding her own," responding to simple commands and breathing without the aid of her ventilation tube, her doctor said. "She has no right to look this good. We're hopeful," Dr. ...

Obama Arizona Speech To Honor Memories, Speak Of Hope
WASHINGTON — Under high expectations to provide healing, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will try to convert the horror of the Arizona shootings into a moment of national unity centering his memorial Speech in Tucson on the lives of the Victims and the heroism of those who rushed to stop the madness. The president was crafting his Speech on Tuesday, and his aides were reluctant to discuss it even broadly in its unfinished form, other than to say it will emphasize the memories of thos...

Rep. Giffords' condition improves after shooting
TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - Representative Gabrielle Giffords is breathing on her own and doctors on Tuesday were hopeful about her recovery from a head wound suffered in an Arizona Shooting Spree that killed six people. Giffords, a popular 40-year-old Democrat, is still in critical condition at a Tucson Hospital but is "holding her own," responding to simple commands and breathing without the aid of her ventilation tube, her doctor said. "She has no right to look this good. We're hopeful," Dr....

Arizona votes to ban funeral picketing
Arizona legislators have approved an emergency law to head off picketing by a fundamentalist Kansas church near the Funeral service for a nine-year-old girl who was killed during a Mass Shooting in Tucson. The Arizona bill, which would make it a misdemeanour to picket or conduct other Protest activities within 100 metres of a Funeral or burial service, comes after the Westboro Baptist Church said it planned to picket Thursday's Funeral for Christina Taylor Green because "God sent the shooter to ...

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy To Introduce Bill Banning High-Capacity Gun Clips
The husband of Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) was murdered in a 1993 Mass Shooting on the Long Island Railroad. When Congress reconvenes after this period of mourning, she will introduce a bill similar to the 1994 law banning gun clips that hold more than ten bullets. That law was allowed to expire on schedule in 2004 due to pressure exerted on the GOP by the National Rifle Association. Labels: Arizona, Congress, Gun Control, U.S. House New! Share this on Facebook: Share ...

N.Y. Rep. Carolyn Maloney pushes for control of high-capacity bullet magazines
This report was written by Carolyn Lochhead and Jennifer Dlouhy of the Washington bureau and Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., who lost her husband in a fatal shooting, is renewing efforts to outlaw the high-capacity bullet magazines such as the one used in the shootings Saturday in Tucson, Ariz. AP photo Surrounded by local leaders, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference about Gun Control in New York. The alleged Arizona gunman, ...

Do We Need Gun Restrictions For The Mentally Ill?
As always happens after a shooting tragedy the nation is about to go through another round of debating Gun Control laws. One facet of that debate is whether or not the mentally ill should be allowed to buy guns. As the Associated Press reports, there were a lot of indicators for Jarred Loughner’s mental problems, but none of those indicators stopped him from being able to buy a gun. Tucson, Ariz. — Jared Loughner had trouble with the law, was rejected by The Army after flunking a dru...

APNewsBreak: More warning signs on day of shooting (AP)
TUCSON, Ariz. – The 22-year-old man accused of trying to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a deadly shooting rampage wrote "Die, bitch" in a note found at his home, a sheriff's official told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Investigators believe Jared Loughner's handwritten message was a reference to Giffords, Pima County Chief Rick Kastigar said. It was found in a safe alongside other ones, including "I planned ahead," "My Assassination" and the name "Giffords." Authorities also re...

Dem Rep. Bob Filner: "We Have Been Threatened"
Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) spoke with CBS News Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes on Washington Unplugged about political discourse in the wake of the Tucson tragedy which left six dead and 14 others injured, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). Filner told Cordes that the heated political debates over Health Care, town-hall meetings and the 2010 Midterm Elections increased voter anger. "Like many of us across the country - including Gabby - we had, I'll just lump them together a...

New Shooting Details: Loughner's Angry Note
With all the evidence against the suspected Tucson shooter Jared Loughner, a Guilty verdict could still prove very difficult. Jan Crawford reports on the latest details of the case. (CBA/AP) The 22-year-old man accused of trying to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a deadly shooting rampage wrote "Die, bitch" in a note found at his home, a sheriff's official told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Investigators believe the handwritten message was a reference to Giffords, Pima County Chief Ri...

American Nihilism
For all the hand-wringing over whether the gut-wrenching massacre in Tucson was the result of America's virulent political discourse, the hand-wringing itself quickly became another instance of the virulence, and then the inanity, of American political discourse. First, liberal writers declared that Jared Lee Loughner was the product of right-wing incitement: Sarah Palin shamefully putting cross hairs over liberal congressmen's districts; Michele Bachmann's call to Tea Party legions to be "arm...