Gabrielle Giffords in new ad: 'Congress must act'

Looking into the camera with her husband standing alongside, Gabrielle Giffords says, "Let's get this done."

The former congresswoman, who was severely injured after being shot in the head two years ago, appears in a new television ad released Monday and urges Congress to take action on issuing tougher gun laws.

"We have a problem. Where we shop; where we pray; where our children go to school. But there are solutions we can agree on, even gun owners like us," she says "Take it from me: Congress must act."

Her comments can be heard over images of the mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado; Newtown, Connecticut; Oak Creek, Wisconsin; and Tucson, Arizona.

The six-figure ad buy will run this week on television and online, according to the political action committee Americans for Responsible Solutions. Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, announced the launch of the organization last month on the two-year marking point of the Tucson shooting rampage that left six dead and 13 others wounded, including Giffords.

Since the group's launch a month ago, it has raised more than $1.5 million online, with an average contribution of less than $75, according to a release.

The group released the new ad the same day Vice President Joe Biden travels to Philadelphia to highlight the Obama administration's push for stricter gun legislation. Among the proposals backed by the president include a ban on assault weapons, universal background checks and limits to high-capacity magazines.

Obama will travel Friday to Chicago, where he will likely make mention of gun violence in a city that saw more than 500 firearm deaths last year. And first lady Michelle Obama attended the Chicago funeral Saturday for a slain teenager who died of gunfire late last month.

While an assault weapons ban appears increasingly unlikely, Giffords' new ad points to wide agreement on universal background checks. Current law stipulates that background checks are not required for private transactions, including those that take place at gun shows.

The commercial will run on cable news outlets, including CNN, in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, and Louisville, Kentucky. The cities represent home towns and states of congressional leaders. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi represents San Francisco, while House Speaker John Boehner comes from Ohio. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid represents Nevada and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was elected in Kentucky.

Along with an online campaign, the ad will specifically run in coordination Tuesday with President Obama's State of the Union address, where he's expected to talk about gun violence.

Giffords is also slated to attend the president's address this week. The appearance follows her powerful testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in late January, in which she pleaded for Congress to make big changes to prevent gun violence.