Gabby Giffords Advocates Tirelessly Against Gun Violence in Inspiring Trailer for Upcoming Documentary
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Gabby Giffords' extraordinary journey is coming to the big screen.
The upcoming documentary Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down follows the former Arizona Congresswoman and "her relentless fight to recover following an assassination attempt in 2011, and her new life as one of the most effective activists in the battle for gun-violence prevention and in promoting understanding of the language condition aphasia," according to an official synopsis.
In the film's official trailer, exclusive to PEOPLE, Giffords, 51, is shown as a rising star in U.S. politics before footage cuts to the aftermath of her being nearly killed in 2011, during the mass shooting in Tucson.
Emotional scenes show Giffords in recovery and struggling to bring her thoughts to the surface verbally (as she says at one point, "The words are there in my brain; I just can't get them out"). Later, she speaks out against gun violence, saying, "Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something."
"Featuring extensive verité filming of Gabby and her husband, astronaut-turned-Senator Mark Kelly; interviews with Barack Obama and other friends and colleagues; and exclusive access to stunning videos taken in the weeks following her near-death experience, this film is the story of a rising star transformed by an act of violence, and a close-up portrait of the marriage that sustains her," the movie's synopsis concludes.
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In total, 13 people were injured and six were killed in the Tucson mass shooting in which former Rep. Giffords was shot in the head.
Giffords went through an extensive recovery process following the 2011 shooting and returned to the House floor seven months later, in August 2011, receiving a standing ovation from her colleagues.
She retired from Congress in 2012 to focus on her recovery, and has since become a leading voice on gun-violence prevention, often speaking up in the wake of mass shootings.
Her husband — retired astronaut Kelly, 58 — was himself elected to Congress in November 2020.
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Giffords recently spoke out in the wake of last month's mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two adults died.
"I'm devastated that more precious children have lost their lives after the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, TX today," she tweeted. "How many more children will be killed by guns? How many young lives cut short, families shattered, communities traumatized because our leaders refuse to act?"
Her statement continued, "Gun violence is a uniquely American problem — and it is now the leading cause of death for American children. I won't rest until children can go to school without fearing for their lives. Our elected leaders must have the same resolve. Enough is enough."
Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down premieres in theaters July 15.
