Gabby Giffords: What Jan. 6 and the attack on my life have in common

I’ve been thinking a lot about anniversaries this week.

Saturday marked the 11th anniversary of the day I was shot. And Thursday marked one year since violent insurrectionists assaulted the U.S. Capitol.

Two commemorations, two days apart: the day my community and I were attacked, and the day our country and our democracy were.

Most people think of anniversaries as things worth celebrating – a wedding, perhaps. And while I certainly value these types of anniversaries – my husband, Sen. Mark Kelly, and I recently celebrated 14 years – I also see the worth in honoring the difficult reminders, which give us the opportunity not only to look back but to look ahead.

In the gun violence prevention movement, we recognize far too many solemn anniversaries. In February, it’s Parkland. In June, it’s Pulse. In October, it’s Vegas. In December, it’s Sandy Hook. And so many more our country doesn’t mark. But that does not make them any less worthy of remembrance. The work my organization, Giffords, does is meant to prevent these unmarked tragedies every bit as much as it’s meant to prevent mass shootings such as the one that upended my life in 2011.

Last year was my shooting’s 10th anniversary, a major milestone. This year is quieter and leaves more time for reflection; I don’t mind that at all. I hold space for both the pain of the tragedy and the loss of six beautiful people, as well as gratitude for the path my life has taken since.

I choose to look at this anniversary as one of overcoming, not just one of tragedy. As with the marking of a new year, I ask myself: How have I changed and grown in the past 12 months?

For one thing, I’m surer now than ever that life is a gift. I sometimes feel I must live largely and boldly enough to make the people who lost their lives on Jan. 8, 2011, proud. Like Christina-Taylor Green, who would be 20 years old now, perhaps in college, her future bright and unspoken for.

But it’s not only reflecting on my own attack that has led me here. On Jan. 8, 2011, my life was in grave danger. On Jan. 6, 2021, my husband’s was, along with the lives of so many of our lawmakers. With a year’s distance, I see more and more parallels between the attacks. Both turned grievance into violence.

The insurrection attempt is a stain on our democracy. One year later, we must take stock and ask whether we have done enough to condemn violent rhetoric and prohibit guns at state capitols and polling places, where they can be used to harass and intimidate.

I fear the answer is no.

Our country must reject this dangerous, antidemocratic threat. From the anti-Asian hate crimes we’ve seen during the pandemic, to the intimidation of public health officials, even to the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, we know all too well that when bitterness and divisiveness grow and then arm themselves, tragedy ensues.

We must rise above this if we wish to avoid more bloodshed. There are simple steps we can take: Individuals convicted of hate crimes should not have access to guns. Language invoking violence should be condemned, not celebrated. Weapons should be barred from state legislatures and voting booths alike.

It’s true we can’t always control the outcome of our efforts, and wishing won’t take us back to how things were before – before armed intimidation became commonplace, before the pandemic, before Jan. 6. But if the effort is not there, we are destined to stay stuck, frozen in place as time moves ahead without us. I know well that the path of reflection and action is harder and bumpier. But I believe it’s worth it.

So I play the French horn, study the Torah and bike the Tour de Tucson. I do my part to build a future free from gun violence. Even when it’s hard for me to learn a new speech or master a new skill – or fight for our democracy – I focus not on what could have been, but what can be.

Gabby Giffords, a Democrat, represented Arizona’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2007 to 2012.