The irony of naming of the USS Gabrielle Giffords – an enemy killer armed with missiles, machine guns and other fast-firing weapons – in honor of the former Arizona Congresswoman who is now an ardent anti-gun advocate has been noted by critics.
The name also has been a target for conservatives who see it as promoting stricter gun laws, noted the Arizona Daily Star.
The $475 million high-speed stealth ship was turned over by Alabama shipbuilder Austal USA to the Navy on Friday after testing in the Gulf of Mexico, said The Associated Press. It is slated to be commissioned in mid-2017.
"Gabrielle Giffords will join her sister littoral combat ships in their homeport of San Diego in 2017, commencing testing and training for deployed operations upon arrival," said Navy Capt. Harrison, commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One, according to USNI News.
Giffords and her husband, retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, created the gun control group Americans for Responsible Solutions in 2013, two years after Giffords was shot in the head and critically injured in Tucson, noted USA Today. Both have campaigned vigorously around the national for anti-gun issues.
Some criticized the Navy on social media for naming the gunship after Giffords because of her gun control stance.
The Navy, though, stood by the naming, pointing to Giffords' perseverance after the 2011 shooting.
"Courage comes in many, many forms – physical, mental, spiritual and political," Vice Adm. Philip Cullom said at the christening ceremony. "Gabby has truly modeled courage and resilience."
U.S. Sen. John McCain, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and ranking member Sen. Jack Reed have slammed most aspects of the Littoral Combat Ship program, including its high costs and capability challenges, in a letter to Navy Secretary Raymond Mabus and Adm. John Richardson, noted USNI News.
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