“ON 8 JANUARY 2011, a mentally-ill young man shot me in the head,” begins Gabby Giffords in a letter sent online via website Upworthy today.

“He killed six of my constituents. He wounded twelve others,” she continues, recalling the Arizona shooting.

“On 14 December 2012, twenty little children and six of their teachers were massacred in their school.

“Guns have killed more than 2,200 people in this country since then. We are still waiting on meaningful legislation to responsibly reduce gun violence.

“This time has got to be different,” she continues.

The former US representative is still recovering from the bullet she took and a recent interview with CNN highlighted her ongoing medical issues, including sight and speech problems.

Despite the continuing recovery process, Giffords and her husband – former astronaut Mark Kelly – have returned to the world of public policy and politics.

They set up Americans for Responsible Solutions, a PAC calling on senators to vote on gun violence legislation which would see expanded background checks for all gun purchases in America.

The couple do not believe in an outright gun ban. In fact, the pair own their own firearms. In the CNN broadcast, Kelly was shown engaging in target practice with the very firearm that almost killed his wife. Although they are enthusiastic about gun rights, they also want more “common sense policies” to reduce gun violence.

Video: ‘You must act. Be bold’ – Gabrielle Giffords testifies before US senators