Sarah Brady

Sarah Brady
Born	Sarah Jane Kemp 2/6/1942
Birthplace	Kirksville, Missouri, U.S.
Died	4/3/2015 Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Gun control advocate
Known for	Advocacy for gun control legislation, chairwoman of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Spouse(s)	James Brady (m. 1973)
Awards	Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen

Sarah Jane Brady (née Kemp; February 6, 1942 – April 3, 2015) was an American gun control advocate who became one of the most prominent figures in the movement to regulate firearms in the United States. Her path to advocacy began after her husband, James Brady, who served as White House press secretary under President Ronald Reagan, was shot in the head during the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan and left permanently disabled. What started as a personal tragedy became a decades-long public campaign that reshaped American gun policy. Brady served as chairwoman of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly Handgun Control, Inc.) and was instrumental in the passage of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, which established federal background check requirements for firearm purchasers in the United States. Her work earned her national recognition, including praise from President Bill Clinton, and she continued her advocacy efforts until her death in 2015 at the age of 73.

Early Life

Sarah Jane Kemp was born on February 6, 1942, in Kirksville, Missouri. She grew up in a family that was not unfamiliar with firearms; like many Americans of her generation raised in the Midwest, guns were a part of the cultural landscape. Before her transformation into one of the nation's foremost gun control advocates, Brady had no particular involvement in the firearms debate or in political activism of any kind.

Details of her childhood and upbringing in Missouri remain modestly documented in public sources. She would later recount aspects of her early life in her memoir, A Good Fight, published in 2002, in which she described her journey from a relatively conventional American upbringing to the forefront of one of the most contentious political debates in the country.

Personal Life

Sarah Kemp married James Brady in 1973. James Brady went on to serve as assistant to the president and White House press secretary under President Ronald Reagan, a position that placed him at the center of American political life.

On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. James Brady was among those struck by gunfire during the attack. He was shot in the head and suffered catastrophic brain injuries that left him partially paralyzed and with significant cognitive and speech impairments for the rest of his life. The shooting and its aftermath profoundly changed the trajectory of Sarah Brady's life, transforming her from a political spouse into one of the most recognized activists in the United States.

James Brady died on August 4, 2014, more than 33 years after the shooting. His death was ruled a homicide, as it was attributed to the injuries he sustained in the 1981 assassination attempt.

Sarah Brady died on April 3, 2015, in Alexandria, Virginia, at the age of 73, less than a year after her husband's passing. The couple had resided in the Alexandria area for many years.

Career

Entry into Gun Control Advocacy

Sarah Brady did not immediately become a gun control activist following the 1981 shooting of her husband. For several years after the assassination attempt, she focused on James Brady's long and difficult recovery. It was not until 1985, when she discovered that her young son, Scott, had picked up a loaded handgun at a friend's house, that she became alarmed about the accessibility of firearms and began to consider taking action. This personal experience, combined with the ongoing effects of her husband's injuries, catalyzed her entry into the gun control movement.

In 1986, Sarah Brady formally joined Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI), a national organization dedicated to advocating for stricter gun laws. She quickly became the organization's most visible spokesperson and, eventually, its chairwoman. Her personal story — the wife of a man grievously wounded by gun violence — gave her a powerful platform from which to speak on the issue. Under her leadership, HCI grew into one of the most influential gun control organizations in the United States.

The Brady Bill

The centerpiece of Sarah Brady's advocacy career was the campaign for what became known as the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, commonly referred to as the Brady Bill. The legislation, which was named in honor of James Brady, sought to impose a mandatory waiting period and background check system for the purchase of handguns from licensed dealers in the United States.

The campaign for the Brady Bill was a protracted legislative battle that lasted seven years. The bill faced fierce opposition from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and many members of Congress who viewed it as an infringement on Second Amendment rights. Sarah Brady became the public face of the effort, testifying before congressional committees, making media appearances, and lobbying legislators directly. She and her husband appeared together at numerous events, with James Brady's visible disabilities serving as a powerful and sobering reminder of the human cost of gun violence.

The Brady Bill was first introduced in Congress in 1987. It passed the House of Representatives on multiple occasions but was blocked in the Senate or vetoed during the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. The political landscape shifted following the 1992 election of President Bill Clinton, who was a strong supporter of gun control legislation.

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was signed into law by President Clinton on November 30, 1993. The law mandated a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases, during which time a background check would be conducted. The waiting period provision was later replaced by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which allowed for instant computerized background checks. President Clinton publicly praised Sarah Brady for her tireless work in advancing the legislation.

The passage of the Brady Bill was considered a landmark achievement in American gun control policy. According to data cited by the Brady Campaign, the law prevented millions of prohibited individuals from purchasing firearms through licensed dealers in the years following its enactment.

Continued Advocacy and the Brady Campaign

Following the passage of the Brady Bill, Sarah Brady continued her advocacy work. She remained chairwoman of Handgun Control, Inc., which was renamed the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in 2001, along with its sister organization, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The renaming honored both Sarah and James Brady and reflected the organization's broadened mission to address all forms of gun violence, not just handgun violence.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Sarah Brady advocated for additional gun control measures, including the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which was signed into law in 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. The assault weapons ban, which prohibited the manufacture and sale of certain semi-automatic firearms and large-capacity magazines, expired in 2004 and was not renewed by Congress, a development that Brady publicly criticized.

Brady also worked to counter efforts to weaken existing gun laws and to promote state-level gun control legislation across the country. She was a frequent presence in the media, appearing on television news programs and in print publications to argue for stricter firearms regulations. Her work brought her into direct and often contentious conflict with the NRA and other gun rights organizations.

Memoir and Public Speaking

In 2002, Sarah Brady published her memoir, A Good Fight, which chronicled her personal journey from the wife of a Republican political operative to a leading gun control advocate. The book detailed the events surrounding the 1981 assassination attempt, James Brady's painful recovery, and the long political battle to pass the Brady Bill. It also offered her perspective on the broader gun control debate in the United States.

A Good Fight received coverage in major publications. Publishers Weekly reviewed the book, and Kirkus Reviews provided a critical assessment of the work. Brady also appeared on C-SPAN to discuss the book and her advocacy work.

Beyond her written work, Brady was a sought-after public speaker who addressed audiences at universities, civic organizations, and political events. She used these platforms to continue advocating for gun control legislation and to share the personal story that had propelled her into public life.

Later Years of Advocacy

In her later years, Sarah Brady remained active in the gun control movement even as the political landscape shifted. The expiration of the assault weapons ban in 2004, the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) affirming an individual right to bear arms, and a series of mass shootings — including those at Virginia Tech in 2007, Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, and others — kept the gun control debate at the forefront of American political discourse.

Brady continued to serve as chairwoman of the Brady Campaign and spoke out following major incidents of gun violence. After the Sandy Hook shooting, which killed 20 children and six adults, the gun control movement experienced a renewed surge of public support. Brady and the organization bearing her family's name were central to the renewed push for legislation, though efforts to pass new federal gun control measures, including expanded background checks, ultimately failed in the Senate in 2013.

The death of James Brady on August 4, 2014, at the age of 73, was a deeply personal loss for Sarah Brady. James Brady's death was classified as a homicide by the Virginia medical examiner's office because it was attributed to the wounds he sustained in 1981. Sarah Brady continued her public work in the months following her husband's death, though her own health was declining.

Recognition

Sarah Brady received numerous awards and honors for her advocacy work over the course of her career. She was the recipient of the Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, one of the most prestigious awards for public service in the United States.

President Bill Clinton publicly praised Brady for her efforts in advancing gun control legislation, particularly in connection with the passage of the Brady Bill in 1993. At the signing ceremony for the legislation, Clinton acknowledged her years of persistent advocacy and her role in bringing the bill to fruition.

Brady was featured in People magazine and other national publications, which profiled her life and advocacy work. She was a regular presence on major television networks and in national newspapers, where she served as a spokesperson for the gun control movement.

The renaming of Handgun Control, Inc. to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in 2001 was itself a recognition of the impact that Sarah and James Brady had on the gun control movement. The Brady name became synonymous with the cause of gun violence prevention in the United States, and the organization continued to carry on their legacy after both of their deaths.

Legacy

Sarah Brady's legacy is closely tied to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which remains one of the most significant pieces of gun control legislation in American history. The law established the framework for the federal background check system that continues to be used for firearms purchases from licensed dealers. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which grew out of the Brady Bill's requirements, has processed hundreds of millions of background checks since its inception and has prevented numerous prohibited individuals from purchasing firearms.

Beyond the specific legislation, Brady's legacy lies in her role in shaping the modern gun control movement in the United States. Before her advocacy, the gun control movement lacked a prominent, sympathetic national figure who could effectively counter the political influence of the NRA and other gun rights organizations. Brady provided that figure, using her personal story and her tireless public engagement to build support for gun control among the American public and within Congress.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the organization that bears her family's name, continues to operate as one of the largest and most active gun violence prevention organizations in the United States. The organization has advocated for expanded background checks, assault weapons bans, and other gun control measures at both the federal and state levels.

At the time of her death in April 2015, tributes poured in from across the political spectrum. The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and NPR, among other major news outlets, published extensive obituaries and retrospectives on her life and work. Gun control advocates hailed her as a transformative figure who had fundamentally changed the landscape of American gun policy, while even some who opposed her positions acknowledged her personal courage and dedication to her cause.

Sarah Brady's story — of a woman who channeled personal tragedy into sustained and consequential political action — remains a significant chapter in the history of American civic engagement and the ongoing national debate over firearms regulation.

Publications

• Brady, Sarah, with Merrill McLoughlin. A Good Fight. New York: PublicAffairs, 2002.