UPDATED 14:51 PM EST, January 30, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — She uttered just 80 halting words. But her presence was powerful.
Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, shot in the head by a Tucson gunman in 2011, opened the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on gun violence in dramatic fashion Wednesday.
"OK," she began, steeling herself before a packed yet hushed committee room.
"Speaking is difficult," she continued, pronouncing each syllable with deliberation.
This former congresswoman, once blessed with a politician's easy gift of gab, spoke in a high pitch, her voice almost childlike.
