the former u.s. representative , who is now an advocate for gun control , was accompanied by her husband , retired astronaut mark kelly , on the trip , and a young woman who carried several bags .
gabrielle giffords walked through the airport in california using a cane , hard-won steps that show her continued progress four years after she survived an attempted assassination in tucson , arizona .
the former u.s. representative continues to make progress after she almost died in an assassination attempt four years ago .