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“I don't have any more tears to shed.”

Tucson mass shooting survivors work for gun safety
Posted: 7:28 PM, May 25, 2022
Updated: 2022-05-26 12:08:45-04

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Many cities have experienced the shock of a mass shooting.

That list includes Tucson.

On Jan. 8, 2011, a man with a gun killed six people and wounded thirteen, including then Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

It took courage and determination to survive the Jan. 8 shooting —--at what was intended as a parking lot gathering where constituents could meet with Gabrielle Giffords. In the years since those murderous minutes, survivors did not give in to grief. They watched one new shooting after another and channeled energy and anger into working to prevent the next killing.

Pam Simon was a staffer for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She was badly wounded Jan. 8.

Pat Maisch helped head off more killing when she snatched away the gunman’s ammunition as he tried to re-load.

Nancy Bowman is a nurse who ran toward the danger to treat the wounded.

On Jan. 8, a madman murdered Roxanna Green’s daughter Christina Taylor Green.

She says, “At this point, I don't have any more tears to shed. I'm just angry. I'm angry that nothing's been done.”

Nancy Bowman says, “I know that for me, I don't cope well with it, and I have to just turn it off, because I know that nothing is going to happen.”

Watch the full, uncut interview

Jan 8th survivors talk anger, action in wake of Uvalde school shooting

Pat Maisch: “It's not a surprise. It's not a shock. It's another opportunity to be really angry and really sad. Angry at our legislators, sad and heartbroken for the people who are this time being affected.

Pam Simon: “And there is blood on the NRA’s hands. There is no other way around it. The gun lobby has controlled the politicians. I was back in Washington DC one time in 2014 when we were lobbying to have a background check bill passed, and one Republican senator looked me in the eye with tears in his eyes. And he said, ‘I know this is the right thing to do, but I just can't vote for it.’ “

Roxanna Green: “My daughter was in third grade and nine years old and she had a bright future ahead of her but I don't care if the person is 90 years old. It doesn't matter. One death. A day would be too much. But it's 110. It's 33,000. When are they going to wake up, when are they going to do something?"

Nancy Bowman: “I know that people ask me, what's the answer to this, Nancy? And I tell them we have the answer. It's nothing. Nothing is going to happen until we have 60."

members of the Senate who will vote for common sense gun legislation.”

Pam Simon: ”If we are truly patriotic and care about our country, then we need to look for those solutions and those solutions are there.”

But after years of frustration, these survivors say they’ve had some victories in individual states and they still have anger—-and hope—- to keep them working to reduce gun deaths.

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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.