[h=3]Associated Press[/h]WASHINGTON—Wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will appear as an unscheduled witness Wednesday at the year's first congressional hearing on curbing gun violence, adding drama to a session that was already slated to hear from a top official of the National Rifle Association.
Ms. Giffords, an Arizona Democrat who suffered a severe head wound in a 2011 Tucson shooting that killed six people, wasn't expected to take questions, according to a Senate aide.
The juxtaposition of the NRA and a famous shooting victim set the stage for the hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose own members are divided, like the public at large.
Wednesday's hearing is a response to the Dec. 14 shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and turned gun control into a top-tier issue in the capital.
"The time has come to change course," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.), one of Congress's leading gun-control advocates, said Tuesday. "And the time has come to make people safe."
Ms. Feinstein, a Judiciary Committee member, has already introduced her own legislation banning so-called assault weapons and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) said he would listen to proposals and agreed that reviewing the issue was timely.
"But I'm a strong supporter of the Second Amendment," he said Tuesday, citing the constitutional provision that guarantees the right to bear arms, "and I don't intend to change."
The chairman of the panel, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.) said in his prepared opening statement Wednesday that it was "a simple matter of common sense" that there should be a strengthening of background checks and that doing so wouldn't threaten gun owners' rights. The checks are currently required for gun purchases from licensed dealers but not at gun shows or other private transactions.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) indicated that whatever the committee produced wouldn't necessarily be the final product, saying the package would be debated by the full Senate and senators would be allowed to propose "whatever amendments they want that deal with this issue."
Despite the Newtown slayings, it remains unclear whether those advocating limits on gun availability will be able to overcome resistance by the NRA and lawmakers from states where gun ownership abounds. Question marks include not just many Republicans but also Democratic senators facing re-election in red-leaning states in 2014. They include Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.
Knowing that television cameras would beam images of the hearing nationally, both sides were drumming up supporters to attend Wednesday's session.
A page on an NRA-related website urged backers to arrive two hours early to get seats, bring no signs and dress appropriately. The liberal BoldProgressives.org urged its members to attend, saying the NRA "will try to pack the room with their supporters to deceive Congress into believing they are mainstream."
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama proposed a package that includes banning guns labeled as assault weapons, requiring background checks on all firearms purchases and limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds.
Ms. Giffords underwent a lengthy rehabilitation process and has regained some ability to speak but has retired from Congress. A gun owner, she and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, have formed a political-action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions to back lawmakers who support tighter gun restrictions.
In testimony prepared for the hearing but released Tuesday, Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president, said such steps had failed in the past. He instead voiced support for better enforcement of existing laws, beefing up school security and strengthening the government's ability to keep guns from mentally unstable people.
The massacre in Newtown has also set off a national discussion about mental-health care, with everyone from law-enforcement leaders to the gun industry urging policy makers to focus on the issue as a way to help prevent similar mass shootings. The issue of mental health has arisen in four recent mass shootings, including Sandy Hook; the Tucson shooting; the incident in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater last year; and Virginia Tech in 2007.
"Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals," Mr. LaPierre said in his statement. "Nor do we believe the government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families."
Ms. Giffords, an Arizona Democrat who suffered a severe head wound in a 2011 Tucson shooting that killed six people, wasn't expected to take questions, according to a Senate aide.
The juxtaposition of the NRA and a famous shooting victim set the stage for the hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose own members are divided, like the public at large.
Wednesday's hearing is a response to the Dec. 14 shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and turned gun control into a top-tier issue in the capital.
"The time has come to change course," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.), one of Congress's leading gun-control advocates, said Tuesday. "And the time has come to make people safe."
Ms. Feinstein, a Judiciary Committee member, has already introduced her own legislation banning so-called assault weapons and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) said he would listen to proposals and agreed that reviewing the issue was timely.
"But I'm a strong supporter of the Second Amendment," he said Tuesday, citing the constitutional provision that guarantees the right to bear arms, "and I don't intend to change."
The chairman of the panel, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.) said in his prepared opening statement Wednesday that it was "a simple matter of common sense" that there should be a strengthening of background checks and that doing so wouldn't threaten gun owners' rights. The checks are currently required for gun purchases from licensed dealers but not at gun shows or other private transactions.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) indicated that whatever the committee produced wouldn't necessarily be the final product, saying the package would be debated by the full Senate and senators would be allowed to propose "whatever amendments they want that deal with this issue."
Despite the Newtown slayings, it remains unclear whether those advocating limits on gun availability will be able to overcome resistance by the NRA and lawmakers from states where gun ownership abounds. Question marks include not just many Republicans but also Democratic senators facing re-election in red-leaning states in 2014. They include Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.
Knowing that television cameras would beam images of the hearing nationally, both sides were drumming up supporters to attend Wednesday's session.
A page on an NRA-related website urged backers to arrive two hours early to get seats, bring no signs and dress appropriately. The liberal BoldProgressives.org urged its members to attend, saying the NRA "will try to pack the room with their supporters to deceive Congress into believing they are mainstream."
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama proposed a package that includes banning guns labeled as assault weapons, requiring background checks on all firearms purchases and limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds.
Ms. Giffords underwent a lengthy rehabilitation process and has regained some ability to speak but has retired from Congress. A gun owner, she and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, have formed a political-action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions to back lawmakers who support tighter gun restrictions.
In testimony prepared for the hearing but released Tuesday, Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president, said such steps had failed in the past. He instead voiced support for better enforcement of existing laws, beefing up school security and strengthening the government's ability to keep guns from mentally unstable people.
The massacre in Newtown has also set off a national discussion about mental-health care, with everyone from law-enforcement leaders to the gun industry urging policy makers to focus on the issue as a way to help prevent similar mass shootings. The issue of mental health has arisen in four recent mass shootings, including Sandy Hook; the Tucson shooting; the incident in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater last year; and Virginia Tech in 2007.
"Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals," Mr. LaPierre said in his statement. "Nor do we believe the government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families."