Former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords has launched a new campaign aimed at protecting women from gun violence.

The bipartisan coalition — an eclectic mix of female policymakers, law enforcers, educators, activists and Hollywood stars — is designed both to highlight the gun threat facing women and to promote the policy changes to combat the scourge nationwide.

Giffords, who was shot and nearly killed in a gunman's rampage in her Tucson district in 2011, said the problem is urgent and demands an immediate response.

"We have a problem in our country," Giffords said during a conference in Washington examining domestic violence. "Too many women are dying from gun violence."

Dubbed the Women's Coalition for Common Sense, the campaign is urging tougher laws to keep guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous people, such as convicted stalkers and domestic abusers.

Joining Giffords in the campaign are former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and actress Alyssa Milano.