Expressing Sense of House Regarding Arizona Shooting

Floor Speech

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Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, last weekend, the world watched as what began as a sunny Saturday morning in southern Arizona ended in tragedy and horror for our Nation. Violence of this kind has no place in America, and our grieving Nation will spare no expense to find out how this tragedy happened and ensure that it can never be repeated.

Last Saturday was a dark day in our Nation's history and a day which I will never forget. My thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her family and her staff. My staff is my family, and I cannot comprehend why anyone could or would hurt a group of honest, hard-working people united in their desire to serve the people of southern Arizona.

I also join the Nation in honoring the lives of the six brave Americans who lost their lives in this senseless act of violence and in offering my support and best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those affected by this tragedy.

Gabby Giffords is a good heart, a great mind, and one of the nicest Members of Congress with whom I have had the honor of serving. When I last saw her, at the airport just hours before the attack, she was going home to do exactly what we all do--what we were elected and what the people of this country expect us to do--working with constituents, listening to their concerns and being responsive to their needs.

Saturday's attack came as a shock to me not just as a member of Congress, but because the violence reached beyond the realm of politics, and took the lives of innocent, ordinary Americans who took time out of their busy lives to participate in our democracy.

As Members of Congress, when we sign up to serve our country we understand there is an inherent risk. But we never imagine our mere presence could so endanger innocent constituents wishing to voice their opinions. An attack at an event of this kind is an attack against that which makes our Nation great and must not be tolerated.

Gabby is famous for her smile that could light up a room and her fearless tenacity to reach across the aisle to find solutions for the problems facing this Nation. In a tight race in a politically diverse district, Gabby was reelected three times because of her ability to find consensus in a sea of chaos and her willingness to fight, not for the left or for the right, but for what's best for the people of Arizona. If we, as a nation, can learn from our mistakes and take something away from this tragedy, let it be that we follow her footsteps and use our office and our government to unite rather than divide our healing Nation.

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