I heard that the weapon was a 9mm handgun, and was acquired legally, but I haven't really confirmed that.

Anyway, I'm also a Tucsonan, and today was a bit surreal for me. I work at a performing arts venue on the U of A campus, where we're just a few days into a 3-week run of the musical "Wicked." While the university did postpone today's scheduled basketball game, we took the "the show must go on" approach--patrons were a bit more subdued than normal, but I think were glad for the distraction, especially during the matinee (which started ~4 hours after the incident, when details were still unknown).

It was kind of uplifting, actually, to see perfect strangers talking about what had happened, times that they had met the Congresswoman, looking updates up on iPhones and Blackberries and sharing them with seat-neighbors at intermission.

I don't think Gabby Giffords has a mean bone in her body, and she is someone who really seems dedicated to her whole constituency, not just the ones who agree with her. I'm proud to have her as my representative, and I do hope we see her back in the House, though I'm sure she has a difficult road ahead. My heart really goes out to the folks who lost loved ones today, especially that lovely little girl.