Gabrielle Giffords, husband Mark Kelly to attend State of the Union

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57568551/gabrielle-giffords-husband-mark-kelly-to-attend-state-of-the-union/

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband, Mark Kelly, will attend President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday as guests of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Ron Barber, D-Ariz., a Barber aide confirmed to CBS News.

Giffords, who was shot in the head during a mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz., in 2011, resigned from Congress following the shooting. Barber, her former district director, now holds the seat she once occupied.

The decision to invite Giffords and her husband will likely focus more attention on the president's recently unveiled proposals to reduce gun violence. Since the shooting that nearly claimed her life, Giffords has emerged as one of the most high-profile faces against gun violence in America.

(snip)
The president is expected to mention his proposals to strengthen gun laws during the speech, which is otherwise expected to focus on economic revitalization.


Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously injured in the mass shooting that killed six people in Tucson, Ariz., sits with her husband, Mark Kelly, on Capitol Hill in Washington Jan. 30, 2013. / AP PHOTO