Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords prepares to take the stage during a panel discussion about gun violence against women. Photographed on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle. (Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com) Ex-Rep. Gabby Giffords walks slowly with a cane and talks slowly. But the former congresswoman who was victim of an assassin puts powerful emphasis on every word that she speaks.