LITTLE VICTIM: Roxanna Green (below), mom of Christina (above), pleads for tougher gun laws in a new ad from the mayor’s group. (
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Marking the second anniversary of the mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that severely wounded then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Mayor Bloomberg’s gun-control group yesterday aired a powerful new TV ad that featured the mother of a little girl killed in the attack.
“My 9-year-old daughter was murdered in the Tucson shooting,” heartbroken mom Roxanna Green says in the ad. “I have one question for our political leaders: When will you find the courage to stand up to the gun lobby?”
She then asks: “Whose child has to die next?”
The jarring spot, which also evokes the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., is part of an aggressive campaign by Bloomberg’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, to force passage of tougher federal arms laws.
The ad is airing in New York and five other markets that have been rocked by mass shootings, as well as Washington.
Green’s daughter, Christina, who was the granddaughter of former Yankee and Met manager Dallas Green, was among the six killed and 13 wounded by deranged shooter Jared Lee Loughner at a local event hosted by Giffords.
Giffords, who left office to recover from a gunshot to the head, also marked the anniversary by launching the Americans for Responsible Solutions Web site to promote laws to prevent gun violence.
“Two years ago, a mentally ill young man shot me in the head, killed six of my constituents, and wounded 12 others,” Giffords wrote on the Web site. “Since that terrible day, America has seen 11 more mass shootings — but no response from Congress to prevent gun violence.
“After the massacre of 20 children and six of their teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary, though, it’s clear: This time must be different.”