US shootings: Gunman's parents 'devastated' as search for motive goes on

SHOT congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is breathing on her own and doctors are hopeful about her recovery from a head wound sustained in an Arizona shooting spree that killed six people.

• Jared Loughner has been charged in connection with Saturday's shooting. Pictures: AFP/Getty

Ms Giffords, 40, a popular Democrat, was last night still in a critical condition in hospital but is "holding her own", responding to simple commands. A bullet passed through her brain.

"She has no right to look this good. We're hopeful," Dr Michael Lemole, head of neurosurgery at the University Medical Centre in Tucson, said.

The suspect in the shooting, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is being held on five federal charges, including the attempted assassination of Ms Giffords.

Loughner's parents, Amy and Randy, have said they are "devastated"' by the incident and plan to release a statement, a neighbour told local media yesterday.

Wayne Smith told a TV news channel: "They're devastated. Wouldn't you be if it was your child? They're hurting bad."

The bloody rampage - at an event Ms Giffords hosted for constituents - has fuelled debate about whether heated rhetoric seen in recent US political campaigns can lead to violence.

President Barack Obama plans to visit Arizona today to attend a memorial service for the dead, who included a federal judge, a nine-year-old girl and one of Ms Giffords's young aides.

A CBS News poll released yesterday found a majority of Americans reject the view that heated political rhetoric was a factor in the weekend shootings.

Some 57 per cent of respondents said the harsh political tone had nothing to do with the shooting, against 32 per cent who felt it did. Rejection of a link was strongest among Republicans, at 69 per cent.

While the motive for Saturday's attack was not apparent, politicians and commentators have said a climate in which strong language and ideological polarisation is common may have contributed.

Arizona's gun laws are among the most permissive in the country. Last year, it became only the third US state that does not require a permit to carry a concealed weapon. It also enacted another measure allowing people to take their guns to work, even if their workplaces have banned firearms, as long as they kept them in a locked vehicle.

In 2009, a law went into effect allowing people with concealed weapons permits to take their guns into restaurants and bars.

It is unclear whether this attack will do anything to shift attitudes about guns in the state. But at the federal level, gun control advocates have zeroed in on the "high-capacity" ammunition magazine used by Loughner.Magazines that hold more than ten rounds were banned under a federal assault weapons ruling until the statute expired at the end of 2004. Today, just six states and the District of Columbia limit the sale of such magazines.

The magazine of Loughner's semi-automatic pistol held more than 30 rounds

In Washington DC, Eric Holder, the attorney-general, said the weekend's shooting showed the danger posed by threats against public officials.

He said: "Threats against public officials - whatever form they take - continue to be cause for concern and vigilance. But I do not believe that these threats are as strong as the forces working for tolerance and peace."