Giffords' tea party-backed opponent, Jesse Kelly, held a fundraiser at a shooting range in which he invited supporters to "help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office" by shooting an M-16 rifle with him. Sarah Palin posted the map above during the midterm election, with crosshairs used to mark each congressional Democrat she wanted to defeat, along with a frequent use of shooting metaphors.

Can one flippantly talk about 'reloading' and putting people on your target list and not expect some unhinged nut to take you literally?

I accuse the Tea Party for its inflammatory rhetoric. And I accuse gun obsession. You reap what you sow.


Authorities are seeking a second person in connection with the shooting in Tucson Saturday that killed six people and wounded a dozen others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

Police have one suspect in custody, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, whom they believe was the gunman. Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said authorities believe another individual may have been involved.

"We're not convinced he acted alone," Dupnik said of the suspect in custody. "There's some reason to believe that he came to this location with another individual."
He declined to offer details.

Earlier in the day, the surgeon who operated on Giffords said he was "optimistic" she would recover. She was shot in the head at point-blank range, according to witness accounts.
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