She was shot in the head 15 years ago

I still can’t get over that rare display of total unity on the House floor that day. Men and women, dark suits and (a few) colorful pantsuits, Republicans and Democrats, they all jumped to their feet and unanimously cheered, whooped and clapped for a full three minutes and 41 seconds.

Watching that C-SPAN video still gives me chills.

Aug. 1, 2011 – exactly 15 years ago – Rep. Gabriel Giffords (D-Ariz.) brought the house down by walking back into work – persisting – after she was shot in the head.

“I believe in always moving ahead and not dwelling on the past,” Giffords told me this week.

She returned to the Hill that day and cast her first vote after her “Congress on Your Corner” event at a Tucson Safeway seven months earlier turned into a bloodbath and showed us that political shittalking is not harmless. Eighteen other people were shot that day — six of them fatally.

Her head was shorn, her walk unsteady, her courage and persistence undeniable.

She refused to disappear. (Even when she was in the hospital, and the photos were totally real.)

Here’s why her cinematic return 15 years ago also turns my stomach. Those cheers weren’t only about respect and admiration – they knew it could’ve been any of them. It was about THEM. And then those pecksniffs did shit that year to make the rest of America safer, passing the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act and letting the Gun Show Background Check Act and the Child Gun Safety and Gun Access Prevention Act die. THE SAME YEAR ONE OF THEIR OWN WAS SHOT.

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Giffords retired from Congress in 2012. And then Sandy Hook happened. And she formed her organization, GIFFORDS, and has been fighting for gun safety laws ever since. Now, wouldn’t curbing gun violence – which kills about 46,000 Americans every year – be the PERFECT platform for a First Lady? I’m loving the talk of her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), running for president in 2028. He’s a friggin astronaut. And she would make history in the East Wing. Once it’s rebuilt.

I interviewed Giffords on the 10-year anniversary of her return to Congress and we talked about her own gun ownership, her frustration with Congress and that great flower brooch she always wears. (An Arizona flower. She lost her first one, then her husband found another.)

Five years later, she’s still at it. So I came back to her to check in for the 15-year anniversary this week. She’s dug in. And persisting. Here’s what she told me:

(And because of the aphasia caused by that bullet ripping through her skull, it’s difficult for Giffords to talk in long sentences. So we did it over email. Here are my questions and her answers.)

Q. Why persist?

A. I believe in always moving ahead and not dwelling on the past. That’s a mindset I’ve used during my recovery.

I had to relearn how to walk and talk again, and I found it most motivating to focus on striving for a better future. I think about our fight to end gun violence in the same way.

We have made enormous progress, but I know it’s not nearly enough. Guns are still the number one killer of kids and young people. We can’t let that level of violence continue – it’s unacceptable. But rather than throwing our hands up, we work hard and strive for that better future.

Q. What is the most difficult thing about persisting — especially in today’s fraught world?

A. In today’s world it can be hard to keep up – we can feel like we’re being pulled in a million different directions.

One day we’re celebrating passing a major gun law in a state, and next day there are more lives cut short. And it’s not just gun violence; we see new horrors every time we check the news.

So I know that continuing to be engaged and fight back – which is critical – can feel tough, some days.

Q. What advice would you give others who are having a tough time persisting (again, especially in today’s fraught world)?

A. I encourage people to appreciate and find joy in the little things.

Spending time with my friends and family, riding my bike, going to the gym, and meeting people who continue to fight for a better world all give me hope and the energy to keep moving forward.

Doing nothing isn’t an option, too much is at stake. We’re going through some tough times right now, but I truly believe what Martin Luther King Jr. said: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

If you want to get involved with Gabby’s organization, go to Giffords.org to donate or join!