Former U.S. Rep. Gabbie Giffords, the former congresswoman who was shot in the head, traveled to New York on Sunday and spoke at a gun show about the need for background checks.
Giffords attended the Saratoga Arms Fair in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., along with her husband Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and military pilot, as well as New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. At the show, Giffords spoke about the importance of finding ways to stem gun violence.
She traveled to Saratoga to commend the 35 gun show operators in New York who made a voluntary agreement to require a background check on every person purchasing a firearm at a gun show. The background checks are done by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
The U.S. does not mandate background checks at gun shows, which many Democrats such as Giffords are trying to change. Adding background checks was a major push by the Democrats following the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.
"Stopping gun violence takes courage. The courage to do what's right. The courage of new ideas," Giffords said at the show.
Giffords' husband, Kelly, told those in the attendance that couple supports gun shows, and, in fact, own guns in their home. He said they traveled to Saratoga to see a "system that works."
"It's great to be able to see people sell the firearms they have collected," Kelly said. "It's great for Gabby and I to see a system that works."
