President Obama shakes hands with Daniel Hernandez Jr., during the memorial event, “Together We Thrive: Tucson and America,” at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, Arizona, on Wednesday (Jan. 12, 2011)./Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
Author: Kevin Reagan | 12 News
Arizona Rep. Daniel Hernandez Jr., D-Tucson, pleaded with his colleagues on Wednesday to take action in order to prevent the recent school shooting in Texas from happening in Arizona.
Bills advocating for gun reforms have been already introduced, Hernandez noted on the House floor, yet other lawmakers are not allowing them to advance through the Legislature.
The issue of gun violence is particularly personal for Hernandez, having survived a deadly mass shooting in 2011 that killed a 9-year-old girl.
Hernandez was an intern for former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords when a gunman opened fire at an outreach event in Tucson outside a grocery store. Six people were killed and several more were injured including Giffords.
On Wednesday, Hernandez recalled cradling Giffords after she had been shot in the head and assisting her until paramedics arrived. Hernandez was later credited with helping to save Giffords’ life.
Hernandez, who is running for a seat in Congress, said too many mass shootings have occurred since 2011 and the country has fallen into a passive routine in how it responds to each of them.
“We have a uniquely American problem,” Hernandez said during a speech on the House floor.
The Democratic lawmaker blamed the “Washington gun lobby” for wielding too much influence over his colleagues and pushing them to thwart gun reform bills in the Legislature.
“We can stop another awful thing from happening,” Hernandez added.
