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Giffords was accompanied by her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, at the private meeting in Newtown that was also attended by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. "As always, I was deeply impressed by the strength and courage and resolve of the families and the extraordinary caring and generosity of Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly in visiting with them," Blumenthal said. Giffords, a Democrat, met earlier in the day with officials including Connecticut's lieutenant governor and Newtown's first selectman. Giffords was left partially blind, with a paralyzed right arm and brain injury, when a gunman opened fire at a constituent meet-and-greet outside a Tucson grocery store on Jan. 8, 2011. Arizona's chief federal judge and five others were killed and 13 people, including Giffords, were injured. The gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, pleaded guilty to 19 federal charges and was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences, plus 140 years.
Kelly has become a vocal advocate for gun control in recent months, most notably at Loughner's sentencing in November. He lashed out at politicians for avoiding a "meaningful debate" about gun laws and called out Arizona Republicans, including the governor, for taking a pro-gun stance in the months after the shooting. "As a nation we have repeatedly passed up the opportunity to address the issue. After Columbine, after Virginia Tech, after Tucson and after Aurora, we have done nothing," he told the court. He has issued strongly worded statements many times since the massacre in Connecticut, including a harsh response to the National Rifle Association's reaction to the shooting. He often begins statements with "Gabby and I" as he makes pointed comments about the direction of the gun debate in America.
Kelly said on the day of the Newtown shooting that it should lead to better gun control. "This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence," Kelly said on his Facebook page, calling for "a meaningful discussion about our gun laws and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America." Blumenthal said he is eager to find allies as he pursues tougher gun control laws. "I'm hopeful that everyone who cares about this issue or has a stake in it will be active in supporting our effort in gun violence prevention legislatively," he said.
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Texas Department of Transportation officials in Houston had suspended the use of the signs to direct motorists to firearms-related events, citing concerns about their use for a Houston gun show days after the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.
But the suspension didn't last long. State transportation officials reversed course after the Houston Chronicle reported the local decision. "We use these dynamic message boards to help us direct traffic when there's an accident and at large events to keep the public safe," TxDOT spokeswoman Veronica Beyer said in a statement. "We will continue to use these message boards, like we did at this event and at similar events, to direct traffic and protect the public at any event meeting our established criteria."
Beyer said local authorities "made an error" in suspending the use of the signs, which officials in Houston and statewide credit with improving safety and traffic during large events.
The issue arose last month, after changeable signs on the freeway were used to help navigate people to the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. The signs alerted drivers to the High Caliber Gun and Knife Show, which started the day after Adam Lanza killed 20 students and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School before killing himself on Dec. 14. "We had several people say 'Hey, this is bad timing,' " said Stuart Corder, director of transportation operations for TxDOT's Houston district. "We understand there is a wide range of opinions and we've got to be sensitive to people's concerns."
A local decision
[/QUOTE]A local decision[/url]
