Brady Campaign
and the
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence

A History of the Gun grabbers

1974

The National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH) is established by Dr. Mark Borinsky, a victim of gun violence.

1975

After the murder of his son, DuPont executive Nelson "Pete" Shields takes a leave of absence from his job to work for NCCH, eventually retiring from DuPont to work for NCCH full-time.

1978

Pete Shields becomes Chair of NCCH.

1980

The National Council to Control Handguns is renamed Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI).

1981

March 30: Jim Brady, press secretary to President Ronald Reagan, is shot and seriously wounded during an assassination attempt on the President.

1983

The Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (CPHV), an educational outreach organization dedicated to reducing gun violence, is founded as a sister organization to HCI.

1985

Sarah Brady, Jim Brady's wife, joins the fight for sensible gun control laws.

1986

HCI successfully lobbies Congress to ban armor-piercing, "cop-killer" bullets that can puncture bullet-proof vests worn by police officers.

1988

• Maryland becomes the first state in the nation to ban the sale of Saturday Night Specials.
   
• With HCI's support, Congress passes a bill to ban handguns that cannot be detected by airport x-ray machines ("plastic" handguns).
   

1989

• CPHV establishes the Legal Action Project to take the fight against gun violence into the courts.
   
• After a schoolyard massacre in Stockton, California passes the first assault weapons ban in the nation, the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapon Act.
   
• Florida adopts the nation's first "Child Access Prevention" law, which requires adults to store guns so that they are inaccessible to children or use a device to lock the gun.
   
• Pete Shields retires as Chair of HCI; Sarah Brady becomes Chair.
   

1993

• Virginia passes legislation limiting purchases of guns to "one per person per month," in response to increasing evidence that Virginia is a source state of crime guns trafficked up and down the East Coast.
   
• November 30: The Brady Bill, which requires a five-day waiting period and background checks on handgun purchases, is signed into law after a seven-year battle.
   

1994

• February 28: The Brady Law goes into effect in the 32 states which have no background check system.
   
• President Clinton signs into law the Violent Crime and Control Act of 1994, which includes the first-ever federal Assault Weapons Ban, banning the future manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons.
   
• September 14: The federal Assault Weapons Ban goes into effect.
   
• CPHV and the American Academy of Pediatrics launch Steps To Prevent (STOP) Firearm Injury to train doctors to counsel patients and their families about the risks of guns in the home.
   

1996

• Congress passes legislation to prohibit anyone convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense from buying or owning a gun.
   
• CPHV launches Project Lifeline, a national network of health professional committed to public education on gun violence prevention.
   

1997

• February: The Centers for Disease Control releases a report showing that the firearms death rate of children in the United States is 12 times higher than the firearms death rate of children in 25 other industrialized countries combined.
   
• June: Although the Supreme Court strikes down the background check requirement of the Brady Law, the waiting period and other provisions of Brady survive an NRA-financed challenge. Law enforcement continues to conduct background checks voluntarily until the National Instant Check System goes into effect in 1998.
   

1998

• February: CPHV releases On the Front Line, the first comprehensive survey of gun interdictions programs used by law enforcement agencies across the country. The report is designed to be a guide for other police departments to assist them with their gun interdiction efforts.
   
• April: President Clinton expands the federal Assault Weapons Ban to include "copycat" imports.
   
• May: Connecticut passes a package of gun control measures to close loopholes in the state's gun laws and enable law enforcement to solve gun crimes.
   
• June: Steps to Prevent Firearm Injury in the Home 2 (STOP 2) is launched. STOP 2 broadens the scope of the original STOP program to reach more diverse communities and health care providers in all fields.
   
• October: Massachusetts enacts measures to strengthen the state's gun laws, including requiring child safety locks with every new gun sold, a Child Access Prevention law, a ban on junk guns, and requiring safety training for gun purchasers,
   
• October: With the assistance of CPHV's Legal Action Project, New Orleans becomes the first public entity to sue the gun industry.
   
• November: The people of Florida vote overwhelmingly to allow cities and counties to regulate private sales at gun shows; 11 out of 12 "Dangerous Dozen" candidates who oppose gun control are defeated at the polls.
   
• November 30: The Brady waiting period expires and the National Instant Check System goes into effect. Background checks are extended to long guns (such as rifles and shotguns).
   

1999

• April 6: In the first-ever statewide referendum on the subject, the voters of Missouri reject an NRA-sponsored proposal that would allow people to carry hidden handguns.
   
• Spring/Summer: In the wake of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, the U.S. Senate passes legislation to close the gun show loophole. Unfortunately, similar legislation in the House is defeated and the Senate bill stalls in conference committee.
   
• September 29: In Merrill v. Navegar, CPHV's Legal Action Project achieves the first appeals court ruling that a gun maker can be held liable for negligence leading to the criminal use of a gun.
   
• October 2: The U.S. Supreme Court rejects a gun industry challenge to the federal Assault Weapons Ban.
   
• California passes the strongest package of gun control bills ever enacted by a state in one year. Measures include consumer product safety standards for all handguns manufactured or sold in the state, requiring state-approved child-safety locks with all guns sold, strengthening the state's ban on assault weapons and limiting handgun purchases to one per person per month.
   

2000

• January 20: The District of Columbia becomes the 30th jurisdiction to sue the gun industry.
   
• February 11: The White House Press Briefing Room is named in Jim Brady's honor.
   
• March 17: Smith and Wesson becomes the first gun manufacturer to settle with cities and counties suing the gun industry, agreeing to make sweeping changes to its manufacturing and distribution practices.
   
• April 3: After two years of court battles, the Attorney General of Massachusetts becomes the first in the nation to use consumer protection powers to regulate guns.
   
• May 4: HCI releases a new television ad featuring video footage of a senior NRA official boasting that, if George W. Bush is elected President, the NRA will be working out of the White House.
   
• May 15: The Million Mom March takes place on Mother's Day. Hundreds of thousands of moms and others gather in Washington, D.C. and in cities around the nation to call on lawmakers to enact stricter gun laws.
   
• June 20: New York City becomes the 32nd city or county to sue the gun industry. CPHV's Legal Action Project now represents 26 of the 32 jurisdictions.
   
• November 7: Two traditionally pro-gun Western states, Colorado and Oregon, overwhelmingly pass statewide referenda to close the gun show loophole. Handgun Control and the Handgun Control Voter Education Fund spend a record $5 million to help defeat 9 of the 12 "Dangerous Dozen" candidates who oppose reasonable gun laws.
   
• The states of Maryland and New York pass gun control packages, strengthening each state's gun laws.
   

2001

• February 20: The U.S. Supreme Court rejects a gun industry challenge to California's assault weapons ban.
   
• March 13: CPHV launches a new nationwide initiative to encourage attorneys general and other state officials to follow Massachusetts' example and use their consumer protection authority to regulate gun design.
   
• March 30: 20th anniversary of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan and shooting of Jim Brady.
   
• June 14: In honor of Jim and Sarah Brady and their commitment to make America safer from gun violence, Handgun Control is renamed the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence is renamed the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
   
• October 1: The Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence merge with the Million Mom March. The alliance is a "win-win" opportunity for two strong groups that share the common goals of educating the public about gun violence and mobilizing support for sensible gun laws.
   
• November 30: On the eighth anniversary of the signing of the Brady Law, the Brady Campaign announces that since the law went into effect, gun deaths in the United States have dropped a remarkable 27 percent, from 39,595 in 1993 to 28,874 in 1999. A significant reason is the Brady Law, which has saved thousands of lives by requiring background checks that have prevented violent criminals from buying guns.