Bloomberg meets with Gabrielle Giffords on gun control

NEW YORK—New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a private meeting Wednesday with former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who nearly lost her life when she was shot in the head at point blank range at a constituent meeting two years ago.

The sit-down, which wasn’t listed on Bloomberg’s public schedule, was first confirmed via the mayor’s office Twitter feed, which posted a photo of Bloomberg and his aides meeting with Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly.

Marc LaVorgna, a spokesman for Bloomberg, told Yahoo News it was the first time Bloomberg and Giffords had met in person and they talked for "nearly an hour." He declined to say specifically what they discussed. But a source told the New York Post that the group talked about Bloomberg's efforts to pressure President Barack Obama and Congress to pass tougher gun control laws in the wake of last month's deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn--a message that has been echoed by Giffords and Kelly.