The tragic shooting on Jan. 8 in Tucson, AZ has left 6 dead, 13 wounded and many questions. Jared Loughner is being tried for attempted assassination of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, two counts of killing a  federal employee and two counts of attempting to kill a federal employee. Loughner has been indicted of the three charges and more charges are expected to rise up because all Federal charges must be filed within 30 days of said arrest.

Giffords was shot in the forehead and today is in an intensive care hospital. She does three hours of physical therapy daily until she is well enough to attend rehab. Her family has put a lot of thought in deciding to send her to Houston for rehab. She will be at the TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital. Her arrival there has been delayed due to a build up of fluid in her brain that must go down before she can be transported.

Arizona is known to have some of the weakest gun control laws in the United States. For gun owners, these laws that allow them to carry guns in their cars, restaurants and other public places, are their defense for their right to bear arms. Gun control activists say the state’s laws put weapons into the hands of the mentally unstable and demand that federal officials impose tougher background checks and reinstate a ban on assault weapons. Many argue that Loghner was mentally unstable. He has a collection of YouTube videos which all attack government for controlling and brainwashing citizens. In the videos, Loughner urges listeners to start a new currency, new language, and to not let the government control English grammar.

As Giffords recovers, Loughner will be tried and likely convicted. According to a poll of Orono students, 64% believe gun laws in Arizona should be stricter and 50% believe they should stay the same but have restrictions for mentally handicapped citizens.