Retired Astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, wait to testify during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
DENVER (AP) - The battle over new firearm restrictions intensified in Colorado as hundreds of gun advocates filled the state Capitol, while the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords urged lawmakers to pass universal background checks.
A constant chorus of car honking can be heard outside as lawmakers discuss seven gun bills Monday. Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, told lawmakers that he and his wife are Second Amendment supporters, but that the right shouldn't extend to criminals and the mentally ill.
Kelly, a retired Navy captain and astronaut, has testified before Congress in support of gun control measures. Giffords, a former Democratic congresswoman from Tucson, Ariz., was wounded in a mass shooting in January 2011 while meeting with constituents.
The proposal Kelly testified for would expand background checks to include private and online sales.
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