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| Gun violence victims in Washington anxious for Obama to deliver | Gun violence victims in Washington anxious for Obama to deliver |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Washington is filling up ahead of Barack Obama's state of the union address with members of a club that is all too depressingly large: victims of America's disaster of gun violence. | Washington is filling up ahead of Barack Obama's state of the union address with members of a club that is all too depressingly large: victims of America's disaster of gun violence. |
| Dozens of mothers, fathers and children of those killed in the carnage, as well as survivors who carry their scars with them, are descending on the US capital as guests of the White House or members of Congress. Though proposals for additional gun controls will form only one part of Obama's speech, the presence of so many victims and their families will put a unique stamp on the 2013 state of the union address. | Dozens of mothers, fathers and children of those killed in the carnage, as well as survivors who carry their scars with them, are descending on the US capital as guests of the White House or members of Congress. Though proposals for additional gun controls will form only one part of Obama's speech, the presence of so many victims and their families will put a unique stamp on the 2013 state of the union address. |
| Two women in particular will stand out even among this exceptional crowd. Cleopatra Pendleton and her husband Nate will be sitting beside Michelle Obama in the first lady's box tonight, invited because of their unhappy distinction of being the parents of Hadiya Pendleton, gunned down in a Chicago park two weeks ago. | Two women in particular will stand out even among this exceptional crowd. Cleopatra Pendleton and her husband Nate will be sitting beside Michelle Obama in the first lady's box tonight, invited because of their unhappy distinction of being the parents of Hadiya Pendleton, gunned down in a Chicago park two weeks ago. |
| Hadiya, 15, had attended Obama's inauguration parade just days before she was shot as part of her marching band. Two men, suspected of killing her having mistaken her for a gang rival, have been arrested. | Hadiya, 15, had attended Obama's inauguration parade just days before she was shot as part of her marching band. Two men, suspected of killing her having mistaken her for a gang rival, have been arrested. |
| "It's bittersweet," Pendleton told NBC News. "Because it's a result of losing my daughter, but it's also exciting to have an opportunity like this." | "It's bittersweet," Pendleton told NBC News. "Because it's a result of losing my daughter, but it's also exciting to have an opportunity like this." |
| The second woman in the spotlight will be Gabby Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman for Tucson who was shot in the head at a mass shooting at a political rally she had convened in January 2011. She and her husband, the former astronaut Mark Kelly, will attend the address inside the House chamber. | The second woman in the spotlight will be Gabby Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman for Tucson who was shot in the head at a mass shooting at a political rally she had convened in January 2011. She and her husband, the former astronaut Mark Kelly, will attend the address inside the House chamber. |
| Giffords is rapidly emerging, despite her terrible injuries, as a figurehead of the new movement to tighten gun laws. With Kelly she has set up a new campaign, Americans for Responsible Solutions, that has already raised more than $1m and will be staging further fundraisers in Washington this week. | Giffords is rapidly emerging, despite her terrible injuries, as a figurehead of the new movement to tighten gun laws. With Kelly she has set up a new campaign, Americans for Responsible Solutions, that has already raised more than $1m and will be staging further fundraisers in Washington this week. |
| Its first nationwide act will be to air a TV ad before and immediately after the president speaks in which Giffords declares her call to action. "Take it from me. Congress must act. Let's get this done," she says in the 30-second spot, speaking in a stuttering but clear voice. | Its first nationwide act will be to air a TV ad before and immediately after the president speaks in which Giffords declares her call to action. "Take it from me. Congress must act. Let's get this done," she says in the 30-second spot, speaking in a stuttering but clear voice. |
| In addition to Giffords, individuals will be in attendance bearing the wounds – real and metaphorical – of other notorious gun rampages, from the Aurora cinema shooting to the most recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 young children and six teaching staff died. A girl from Newtown and her mother will be present as guests of the Democratic leader in the House, Nancy Pelosi. | In addition to Giffords, individuals will be in attendance bearing the wounds – real and metaphorical – of other notorious gun rampages, from the Aurora cinema shooting to the most recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 young children and six teaching staff died. A girl from Newtown and her mother will be present as guests of the Democratic leader in the House, Nancy Pelosi. |
| One of the first responders to arrive at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, last August, where a gunman killed six people, will also be attending. Brian Murphy still has bullets in his body from the incident. | One of the first responders to arrive at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, last August, where a gunman killed six people, will also be attending. Brian Murphy still has bullets in his body from the incident. |
| The large number of gun victims and their family members at the 2013 state of the union reflects the high profile afforded the issue of gun violence in the wake of Newtown. But it is also the product of a hard-fought campaign by one congressman in particular, Jim Langevin. | The large number of gun victims and their family members at the 2013 state of the union reflects the high profile afforded the issue of gun violence in the wake of Newtown. But it is also the product of a hard-fought campaign by one congressman in particular, Jim Langevin. |
| He was shot in the neck in an accident when he was 16, and is now, 30 years later, the only quadriplegic to serve in Congress. He has been urging his fellow members of Congress to reserve their guest slots for victims of gun violence. | He was shot in the neck in an accident when he was 16, and is now, 30 years later, the only quadriplegic to serve in Congress. He has been urging his fellow members of Congress to reserve their guest slots for victims of gun violence. |
| It is not, though, a purely one-way street. The sizeable pro-gun lobby, that holds sway in the House and commands substantial minority support in the Senate, has got in on the act, too. | It is not, though, a purely one-way street. The sizeable pro-gun lobby, that holds sway in the House and commands substantial minority support in the Senate, has got in on the act, too. |
| Steve Stockman, a Texan Republican, has had the foresight to invite Ted Nugent to be his guest. "After the address I'm sure Ted will have plenty to say," Stockman said. | Steve Stockman, a Texan Republican, has had the foresight to invite Ted Nugent to be his guest. "After the address I'm sure Ted will have plenty to say," Stockman said. |
| That is almost certainly correct, though Nugent may have to be more temperate in his language than he was last April. He prompted a visit from the secret service after he said that if Obama were re-elected: "I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year." | That is almost certainly correct, though Nugent may have to be more temperate in his language than he was last April. He prompted a visit from the secret service after he said that if Obama were re-elected: "I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year." |
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