DENVER—The assassination attempt in Arizona against U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords could lead to a dialing down of the national political debate’s tone and help lawmakers make progress on key issues, Sen. Mark Udall said Tuesday.
Political rhetoric has been “over the top,” the Colorado Democrat said. “We all ought to take a step back and throttle it back.”
The attack on Giffords may affect Congress more in the long-term than some people expect, Udall told The Associated Press in an interview.
“We all know Gabby Giffords. For many of us, this is really personal,” Udall said. He campaigned for Giffords, who represents an area of southern Arizona that Udall’s late father, Morris Udall, once represented.
“I think it sticks in your heart and your head and your gut longer and has more of an effect” because so many lawmakers know her, Udall said.
That could help Congress make progress on such nettlesome issues as spending, energy and immigration, he said.
Udall said there is a 50-50 chance the Senate will reform rules that sometimes shut the minority party out of shaping legislation and make the threat of a filibuster almost insurmountable.
Udall, who supports gun ownership rights, said the attack should prompt a debate on how to keep firearms out of the hands of mentally troubled people.
The man accused of opening fire while Giffords was meeting constituents in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday has been described by acquaintances as a mistrustful social outcast with unusual beliefs.
The attack killed six, including a federal judge, and injured 14.
Udall said the nation has done a better job in recent years of keeping guns out of the hands of felons and children but hasn’t been as successful with unstable people.
“Let’s have a discussion about how we keep firearms out of the hands of people that are going to use them in this kind of a way,” he said.
Udall was in Denver for the inauguration of Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper.
