'I have not lost my voice': Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords spoke at the Democratic National Convention

Gabrielle Giffords, a former Congresswoman from Arizona and the wife of the current Democratic candidate for a Senate seat in Arizona, spoke at the Democratic National Convention on the night of August 19.

Speech comes almost 10 years after Tucson shooting

Giffords' speech comes nearly 10 years following a shooting in Tucson that left her seriously wounded.

According to an Associated Press report from 2017, the shooting, which happened at a meet-and-greet event outside a supermarket in 2011, left six people dead and 12 other people injured.

The gunman, Jared Loughner, was sentenced in 2012 to life in prison.

As for Giffords, she was partially paralyzed by the shooting and suffers from a speech disorder. Since her resignation from Congress in 2012, she and husband Mark Kelly started a gun control advocacy group called Americans for Responsible Solutions.

Kelly is currently the Democratic candidate for a Senate seat formerly held by the late senator John McCain, facing off against incumbent Senator Martha McSally, who was defeated by Kyrsten Sinema in the November 2018 election for a Senate seat formerly held by Jeff Flake, and later appointed to the Senate.

Giffords: America needs all of us to speak out

In the speech, former Rep. Giffords began by recounting her difficult rehabilitation following the 2011 shooting.

"I've known the darkest of days," said Former Rep. Giffords. "But confronted by despair, I've summoned hope. Confronted by paralysis and aphasia, I responded with grit and determination. I put one foot in front of the other. I found one word and then I found another."

Former Rep. Giffords' address came after a segment on gun violence in the United States.

"We are at a crossroads," said Former Rep. Giffords. "We can let the shooting continue, or we can act. We can protect our families, our future. We can vote. We can be on the right side of history."

Former Rep. Giffords ended the speech with a call on voters to elect Joe Biden as President.

"He was there for me. He will be there for you too," said Former Rep. Giffords.

The words echoed what Former Rep. Giffords wrote in March 2020, when she announced, on Twitter, that she has endorsed Biden.

Giffords previously spoke at the Democratic National Convention

This is not the first time former Congresswoman Giffords spoke at the Democratic National Convention. In 2016, she and Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego spoke at that year's Democratic National Convention, held in Philadelphia.

Giffords' speech at the DNC on August 19 coincides with a speech by Kamala Harris to accept the vice-presidential nomination. Other women are also set to address the convention, including former Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.

News Now will carry the Democratic National Convention

Get breaking news alerts in the FREE FOX 10 News app. Download for Apple iOS or Android.

2020 ElectionPolitics