PHOENIX (AP) - Three Arizona lawmakers from Tucson have introduced legislation that would provide state funding for the memorial commemorating the victims and the survivors of a mass shooting that targeted former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.
Rep. Todd Clodfelter, R-Tucson, is the lead sponsored of House Bill 2436, which would allot $2.5 million over five years to the fundraising efforts by Tucson’s January 8th Foundation. “It’s an opportunity to create a memorial that celebrates the lives of those people,” Clodfelter said.
The Jan. 8, 2011, shooting killed six people and injured Giffords and 12 others just outside a grocery store. Giffords was at a meet-and-greet event with constituents when Jared Lee Loughner shot her in the head, a wound that left her paralyzed and led to her resignation from Congress. Loughner pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
Clodfelter described spreading out the funds over five years as “more tolerable and palatable.” He said the bill comes with a lot of qualifiers, like the foundation’s requirement to fully match the proposed state funding. The bill also notes any federal government reimbursements for the memorial will be sent to the state as federal money.
Co-sponsor Rep. Daniel Hernandez, D-Tucson, was an intern for Giffords at the time and also survived the shooting. “One of the main reasons why I was so excited about supporting this bill and co-sponsoring it was because it had broad support not just from legislators but from people across the Tucson community,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said he would like to see the memorial completed before the shooting’s 10-year anniversary, ensuring that older survivors still have a chance to see it come together.
Giffords has become an advocate for tighter gun control, something Republicans in the Arizona Legislature do not support.
But Hernandez said he could not avoid the connection.
“This bill is about the memorial, but I do think you can’t divorce one from the other,” Hernandez said. “I think it’s important we keep pursuing legislation to try and make sure that people who shouldn’t have firearms don’t have them, and that we don’t loosen more gun laws.”
Rep. Randy Friese, D-Tucson, another co-sponsor of HB 2436, said he thinks the memorial will draw people from other parts of the country. “I think that the state should have some buy-in making sure this monument is done well to represent Arizona, not only Tucson, but represent Arizona well,” Friese said.
U.S. Rep. Martha McSally introduced legislation in Congress last month to designate the planned memorial as part of the National Park System. The memorial is expected to include carved symbols along a dark red steel wall and areas to reflect. Officials say the January 8th Memorial should be completed in 2018.
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