Newtown, Conn. has had its share of somber visits from dignitaries in the weeks since the tragedy there, but a planned Friday visit by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords is especially significant because of Giffords’ firsthand experience with a mass shooting. If anybody can relate to the victims’ families’ plight, it’s Giffords, who just last November sat in a courtroom and stared down Jared Loughner, the man who opened fire on an event she was hosting in Tucson, shooting her in the head, killing six others, and wounding thirteen. Giffords’ plans so far are pretty low-key: She’ll attend an event with no press access in a private house, and meet with families of the victims, though Reuters notes that “Giffords’ plans are still developing and may change.”
