WASHINGTON – In front of the U.S. Capitol, Audrey Wright had just finished an emotional plea for lawmakers to take action on background checks for gun owners. As the high school junior stepped back from the microphone, Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords grabbed her hand, kissed her cheek and proudly said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.”

The words alone were significant for Giffords, a former congresswoman from Tucson, Arizona, who survived an assassination attempt in her district in 2011 and was left with a traumatic brain injury that makes it difficult for her to speak.

But the moment was noteworthy, too.

It was a joining of two generations of activists: Giffords, who has become a leading voice on gun control, and the students who have become gun control activists after a series of shootings over the last year.

“I've worked really hard to give voice to millions of regular Americans who didn't used to feel like there was room for them in the gun safety debate,” Giffords told USA TODAY in an email because her speech is limited.

USA TODAY spent last Tuesday with Giffords in Washington as she met with students and then joined them in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Wright, 18, has grown up surrounded by gun violence in Chicago. She has joined a rising number of young people calling for action. Wright and two other students spoke at a news conference on Capitol Hill, alongside Giffords and Democratic lawmakers, one day before the House would vote for the biggest expansion of background checks in 25 years.

Shifting views on guns

Giffords’ work on gun control would be hard to imagine a decade ago when she – a gun owner and moderate Democrat from Arizona – last worked in Washington. When Giffords was a congresswoman, gun control was not a priority for her, nor for most of the Democratic Party, for that matter. Democrats did not move any gun control legislation when they had the White House, House and a supermajority in the Senate.

But the party’s focus on guns has shifted.

On Wednesday, Democrats passed a bill that expands background checks to include private transactions, such as purchases online and at gun shows. Thursday the House passed another measure that would extend the number of days firearms dealers must wait to proceed with a sale from three to at least 10 days.

But there are risks for the party heading into 2020, not only in the congressional races but also for the crowded field of candidates seeking to challenge President Donald Trump for the White House. Gun politics has long been a thorny issue for Democrats to navigate. When Barack Obama was running for president in 2008, he sought to assure voters in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania that he was not going to infringe on their rights to own a gun. On the other hand, Bernie Sanders found himself on the defensive in the 2016 primary when Hillary Clinton attacked his record as too pro-gun.

While background checks and other changes to gun laws are broadly popular, many gun owners in pivotal states like Arizona feel passionately enough about the debate that it would influence their vote.

But Democrats say school shootings such as the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre last year have led to a broader shift in public opinion. They say that voters are demanding stricter gun laws and that the 2018 election that gave them the House majority is proof. For the first time, gun control groups outspent gun rights groups in the 2018 campaign. And with the new Democratic majority came lawmakers unapologetic about their crusade for gun control, including Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath. Her son, Jordan Davis, was shot to death in 2012 after the killer complained about loud music coming from Davis' car.

Advocates say the background checks are modest, lifesaving reforms that Americans overwhelmingly support. They point out that more than 90 percent of Americans consistently support universal background checks. Opponents say the changes punish responsible gun owners and could make it impossible for people to defend themselves. They say the bills also won’t stop criminals from getting guns.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not expected to bring the bills up for a vote in the Senate.

More:Gun control: House passes bill extending time for background checks

The Giffords organization

Giffords, her husband, Mark Kelly, and the staff of their gun control organization, called simply Giffords, have been working closely on crafting legislation with Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., who chairs the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. Thompson and Giffords were friends when she was in the House, and the pair introduced one of the bills together last month on the eight-year anniversary of the Tucson shooting.

This month, representatives from the Giffords organization met with Democratic members and staff to talk about how to better message stricter gun control laws. They urged members to say "gun violence prevention" instead of "gun control" to appeal to a broader audience, according to Democratic Policy and Communications Committee spokesman Blake Androff.

Giffords was shot at a Congress on your Corner event Jan. 8, 2011. A gunman opened fire in the Safeway parking lot, killing six people and wounding 13, including Giffords. Almost two years later, Giffords’ health was progressing, and she was starting to think about what was next for her. Then on Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman killed 20 children and six adult staff members at at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

“It was that day I said, ‘Enough.’ Just a few weeks later Mark and I launched our organization dedicated to inspiring action to address America's gun violence crisis,” Giffords said in an email to USA TODAY.

The organization started in January 2013 with Giffords, Kelly and three former staff members. Six years later it is a major organization operating with a $25 million budget and 50 staff members across the country.

H.R. 8, the bill that passed Wednesday, garnered support from eight Republicans. Thursday’s bill, H.R. 1112, got support from three Republicans. Giffords hopes her message will help boost bipartisan support over time. If not, her organization will campaign to push out lawmakers who are unwilling to join the movement.

“I spent a career working across the aisle on legislation and winning tough campaigns in a conservative district,” Giffords said. “Fundamentally, we need politicians to show the same courage demonstrated by the survivors of gun violence, challenge the NRA, and pass safer gun laws. And we've made some progress like that.

“But we also need to be tough. That's why we hold politicians accountable when they take NRA money and vote against the safety of our kids and communities.”

The Giffords organization was active in the 2018 election cycle, spending $7 million in four congressional races and doling out endorsements for more than 100 of the House members that won in 2018.

“Eight years after the horrific attack in Tucson, we continue to be blessed by Gabby’s unwavering determination and strength as she guides us in our mission to find common-sense solutions to keep our families and our communities safe,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Students call for stricter gun laws

One month after 17 people were killed in the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, more than 1 million students and their supporters took to the streets to call for stricter gun laws.

The Giffords organization spotted an opportunity to engage the students, and it announced the first Giffords Courage Fellowship that summer. The organization selected 28 students who are active on gun safety and work with them to develop their advocacy skills over the course of a year, including multiple trips to Washington.

Last week marked the group’s second trip to the nation’s capital, but it was the first time they were set to meet Giffords over breakfast, and they were excited. As she walked into sunny room at the Newseum on Tuesday, they applauded, and then each took a photo with the former congresswoman. Giffords was warm and friendly, touching shoulders and grasping hands, as she wandered through the room saying “Hello, hello” and pointing out that it was a “gorgeous day.”

Megan McGuire said it was “really incredible” meeting Giffords in light of “everything that she’s been doing for people around the country, or people like me, who have been in a shooting.” McGuire, 17, survived the Santa Fe High School rampage in Texas that left 10 people dead May 18, 2018.

But it wasn’t just meeting Giffords that gave McGuire hope; it was being surrounded by dozens of people who had the same mindset she did.

“To be here with people that are like-minded is so exciting, and it gives me hope that there will be changes in the future. Because going back home it’s more difficult to do activism stuff, knowing that there were actually people who were shot and killed or shot and injured that don’t agree with me,” she said. “Is different to be in an environment where people actually respect what I’m doing, and think what I’m doing is right.”

To learn more:

Gun control: House passes expanded background checks as GOP tries to shift focus to immigration

Parkland shooting spurred a grieving mom to run for Congress. Now she's voting for new gun laws

Exclusive: Democrats fund spike in gun control ads this election cycle

2020 political campaigns

Kelly, the retired astronaut and U.S. Navy combat pilot, has stepped away from the organization after announcing he is running for Arizona’s Senate seat in 2020. Kelly is hoping to unseat Republican Sen. Martha McSally. Giffords aides say the organization will not get involved in Kelly’s race.

The Giffords organization intends to be active in endorsing and helping other political campaigns in 2020 and wants to be a resource for the Democratic candidates running for president. As of now, the group plans to provide information and support for candidates interested in running on the issue, but it hasn’t ruled out endorsing a candidate in the primary. In 2016, the organization backed Clinton for president.

Gun rights advocates

Not every victim of gun violence leaves the experience a crusader for gun control. Case in point: Rep. Steve Scalise, the Republicans’ chief vote counter.

On June 14, 2017, Scalise was practicing with his fellow Republicans as they prepared for an annual congressional baseball game when a gunman opened fire. Scalise was shot in the hip. After three months of recovery, he returned to Capitol Hill and has remained the GOP whip, a post that allows him to be especially vocal about his opposition for the background check bills Democrats are pushing.

“It was people with guns who saved me from that shooting and everybody else on that field as well,” he told USA TODAY. Scalise has remained a strong supporter of gun rights and believes law-abiding citizens “who use guns to defend themselves are the heart of why we have the Second Amendment.”

Despite their differing views on gun control, Giffords and Scalise are members of a club nobody wants to join, and it has connected them.

The day Giffords was at the Capitol to introduce the background check bill, Scalise said, he “went over and we just saw each other and gave each other a big hug.”

“It was just a really special moment.”

Contributing: Maureen Groppe