TUCSON, AZ — Jan. 8, 2011. It's a day so many Arizonans and people all over this country will always remember — the day of the Tucson shooting.
Six people were killed and more than a dozen were injured.
ABC15 is following up with Patricia Maisch, who survived the shooting and has dedicated her life to advocating for more gun safety measures.
"They are dear friends I wish I had never met," explains Maisch, when talking about the survivors of other mass shootings she has met in the 14 years it's been since the mass shooting she was, unfortunately, part of.
It is a group that no one wants to be in.
"We never knew each other and it would have been better if we never met."
But it is through tragedy that Maisch and dozens of others are forever linked.
"I called my husband right away and I said there had been a shooting."
It may have been 14 years ago, but for Maisch, not a day passes without thinking of what happened in Tucson on Jan. 8, 2011.
"That incident is always right behind me, right beside me, or in my face."
On that day, people had gathered in the parking lot of a Tucson Safeway for an event hosted by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
"I got there early and decided to go to the grocery store and I came back out and there was 25 people. So instead of taking my place that I would have had in line, I just went to the end and that may have saved my life."
And later, decisions Maisch and two brave men made that day may have saved other lives - the two men tackled the shooter which is when Maisch made a critical move.
"When I knelt up, I was right at the small of his back, so I couldn't reach the gun. But with his left hand, he was taking another loaded magazine out of his pocket and he fumbled it and I was able to grab it before he could."
"I just followed orders," says Maisch, modestly.
But sadly, not all lives could be saved that day.
"Memories are priceless, but she should still be here."
ABC15 spoke to Maisch recently at Christina Taylor Green Park in Tucson, named for the youngest victim, who at the time was just 9 years old.
"It keeps Christina's memory alive and that's all we have are memories."
Five others were killed that day and more than a dozen were injured, including former Congresswoman Giffords.
Since that day in 2011, there have been roughly 6,000 mass shootings here in the United States, according to CNN and the Gun Violence Archive.
Now, Maisch works as an advocate for what she calls "common sense" gun laws - things like background checks, red flag laws, and safer storage.
To read more about Arizona's gun laws and how we stack up to other states, click here.
