Washington, Jan 31 (IANS/EFE): Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, badly wounded two years ago in a mass shooting that left six people dead, made a surprise appearance at a Senate hearing Wednesday to ask her erstwhile colleagues for action on gun control.

"Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important. Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something," she told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Giffords, whose recovery from a gunshot to the head was described by doctors as miraculous, continues to have difficulty talking.

"You must act. Be bold, be courageous. Americans are counting on you," the former representative from Arizona said with husband Mark Kelly at her side.

Wednesday's hearing was called to consider proposals drafted by the Obama administration in the wake of the Dec 14 shooting deaths of 20 children at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

"We are simply two reasonable Americans who have said 'Enough'," Kelly, a former NASA astronaut, said in explaining why he and his wife - both gun owners - founded Americans for Responsible Solutions.

The organization wants measures to protect legitimate gun ownership while curbing firearms violence.