AZ Congressional Delegation

By The Writers of BlogForArizona

Since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, we at Blog for Arizona have urged Ron Barber to take the lead in Congress in advocating for common sense gun laws. We wrote numerous posts and started a petition that now has over 400 signatures. 

We have watched with deep admiration as Congressman Barber has taken increasingly strong stands on the subject and has occupied an ever more prominent place in the national conversation. His statement on December 19th (posted after the click) is an example of the kind of powerful, personal testimony we hoped to hear from him.

He should know that his constituents and supporters across Arizona, and the nation, stand firmly behind his efforts. Hopefully, this trend will continue, and we have increasing confidence it will. We know that if Ron speaks from his heart at every possible opportunity, millions of Americans will be moved and we just may wind up with sane gun laws as a result.

Read more after the click…

POSTS WILL CONTINUE BELOW

by David Safier Raúl Grijalva gave his usual strong, eloquent statement on the gun regulation issue (Man, can that guy speak, and write). Ron Barber is showing a willingness to take a prominent place in the discussion (I think he was on MSNBC a few minutes ago). And then there's Representative-elect Ann Kirkpatrick. When the … Read more

by David Safier

Congressman Barber talked with Soledad O'Brien on CNN this morning. He spoke strongly against the availability of assault-like weapons and extended clips. He also spoke about providing better services for mental health.

Here's what Barber said about 2 minutes in:

"I want to see legislation enacted that takes away the availability of these kinds of weapons that can do so much harm in a short period of time. . . . For me, as a member of Congress, as a person who has been through a shooting tragedy where the extended clip issue was present, and as a grandfather, I have to stand up and be counted on this, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure we limit the firepower and that we get services to people with mental illness. We have to do both."

It was a good statement, one I hope Barber will repeat, and personalize as much as he can, on other national news programs.

You can watch the interview below the fold.

by David Safier Please sign the petition to encourage Ron Barber to take a lead on common sense gun laws. In his strongest statements yet, Congressman Ron Barber has made it clear, he, along with Raúl Grijalva, stands for common sense gun laws as well as better ways to address problems of mental illness. The … Read more

by David Safier

Ask Ron Barber to lead on sensible gun policies.

This is a personal rumination, certainly not fact, not even analysis. These are just some thoughts that have been rumbling around in my head since last night.

I went to the memorial service Sunday night held at Roberts-Naylor School. It was a somber, nonpolitical event, as it should have been. Ron Barber was one of the speakers, and what he said was low-key and appropriate.

But something struck me after he finished. There was nothing of the Congressman about him. Barber didn't approach the podium with a sense of personal importance. As he spoke, he wasn't trying to make an impression. He seemed like a guy who had a microphone placed in front of him almost by chance, like he was willingly, but reluctantly, doing something he had been asked to do.

As I followed this thought further, I realized Barber doesn't have politics in his DNA. He was Gabby Giffords' employee and was thrust into the national spotlight on January 8, 2011, then thrust into a far more glaring spotlight when he was urged to run for Gabby's unfinished term. There was a feeling of reluctance on his part when he accepted the assignment. True, he chose to run for a full term, but really, his status as Congressman is more the result of an unusual circumstance than personal choice.

For me, that explains part of Barber's reticence to jump into the middle of the discussion about gun regulation. It's said of some politicians that you risk injury if you get between them and a TV camera. Not so Ron Barber. He doesn't seek the spotlight. If he did, he would know this is his moment to become part of history.