We almost died
My name is Ron Barber, and in 2011, I almost died alongside Gabby Giffords. January 8, 2011, was a brisk Saturday morning in Tucson, when Congresswoman Gabby Giffords arrived for her “Congress on your Corner” event. I was serving as her district director. It was supposed to be just another Saturday. But in just 19.6 seconds, six people lay dying and 13 others were wounded when a gunman opened fire in front of a Safeway supermarket. The gunman shot Gabby in the head — leaving her with a condition called aphasia. I was shot in the face and in the leg. I was fading and almost died on the ground. But I thought about my family and tried to keep my eyes open until we made it to the trauma center that saved my life. Fifteen years later, Gabby and I still carry the scars of that terrible day. Some days are harder than others, but we can never stop fighting. Gun violence is a uniquely American crisis. Gun deaths have increased dramatically in the past two decades, becoming more common tha...