Cincinnati Enquirer: Gabby Giffords expected to attend Northside parade

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Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly are stopping in Cincinnati as part of their anti- gun violence tour.

The couple is expected to participate in the annual Northside Fourth of July Parade, according to several event officials.

“We are, in fact, expecting Ms. Giffords to be present at and participating in the 2013 Northside 4th of July Parade,” Parade committee member Chuck Brown told the Enquirer.

Giffords, a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives , was critically wounded Jan. 8, 2011, after Jared Loughner open fired at an event Giffords was hosting in Tucson. Since then, Giffords and Kelly have become vocal advocates against gun violence.

Together they founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, a non-profit group advocating for stricter background checks, limits on assault weapons and high capacity magazines and an end to gun trafficking.

The tour titled “Rights and Responsibilities Tour” is intended to “rally supporters and remind elected officials that our cherished Second Amendment rights demand great responsibility,” according to an Americans for Responsible Solutions press release.

The tour starts in Nevada July 1 and runs through July 7. Stops include Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota and Ohio.

Giffords likely chose Northside because the Fourth of July Parade is one of the best in the country, said James Heller-Jackson, a member of the Northside Business Association and the Northside Community Council.

“It’s one of the reasons I moved to Northside,” Heller-Jackson said.