The organization known as Giffords began as a nonprofit and super PAC Americans for Responsible Solutions ( ARS ) which Giffords launched with her husband , retired astronaut and U.S. Navy aviator Mark Kelly in 2013 shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting . In its first electoral cycle , Kelly said the organization aimed to devote as much money to support pro-gun candidates as the NRA had spent in the 2012 election . In 2016 ARS merged with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence , adding legal expertise and state-level research on gun laws to its work . Finally , in 2017 the group changed its name from Americans for Responsible Solutions to Giffords
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Giffords