GIFFORDS remembers lives lost in the Aurora movie theater shooting

WASHINGTON —  GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention group led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement ahead of the Aurora movie theater shooting that occurred 13 years ago this Sunday. Twelve people were killed and 70 more were injured when the shooter attacked the theater during a midnight movie screening.

“My thoughts are with the families of those killed in this massacre, and with the survivors who will carry their pain and trauma for life. Even more than a decade later, my heart aches for those who were taken from us too soon,” said former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. “I continue to have deep respect for those who have taken their pain and channeled it into change, like my friends Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, who lost their daughter Jessi Redfield Ghawi that night, and Senator Tom Sullivan, who lost his son Alex. Because of their courage, Colorado has seen remarkable wins for gun safety and lives have undoubtedly been saved.”

In 2023, GIFFORDS successfully helped pass Jessi’s Law in Colorado, also called the The Jessi Redfield Ghawi Act for Gun Violence Victims’ Access to Justice and Firearms Industry Accountability. Jessi’s Law works to counteract Colorado’s deeply misguided gun industry immunity laws that have prevented shooting survivors and their families from seeking justice in civil court. In many cases, these immunity laws financially punished families who sought accountability by saddling them with the gun industry’s legal fees if the case was dismissed—but Jessi’s Law has opened new doors to families demanding justice.

In the past year, Colorado has continued to make significant strides towards gun safety. On GIFFORDS’ annual scorecard, the state earned an A-  for new laws preventing armed intimidation at the polls, commonsense restrictions on ammunition sales and new funding for community violence intervention—all commonsense efforts that have saved countless lives.