Mark Kelly, Gabrielle Giffords' husband, in Sarasota to address gun violence

SARASOTA, Fla. - Retired astronaut Mark Kelly takes his push for gun-control legislation to Sarasota later today.

The 49-year-old will give a lecture at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall as part of the Ringling College Library Association's Town Hall Lecture Series .

He is scheduled to speak to a sold out crowd at 10:30 a.m.

Kelly, known as a life-long gun owner, has pushed for a legislative crack down on the trafficking of firearms and limiting the sale of assault rifles.

Kelly's wife, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was the target of an attempted assassination in Tucson, Arizona back in January of 2011.