White House Press Secretary Wounded in Assassination Attempt

WASHINGTON – UNITED STATES – James Brady died at the age of Seventy-three. Brady was the press secretary for United States President Ronald Reagan. In 1981, John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Reagan. One of the devastator fragmenting bullets hit Mr. Brady in the head seriously wounding him. During the media coverage of the attempt to kill the President, there were reports issued by the media that Mr. Brady had died of his wounds.

Normally the press secretary would have been handling media in such a situation, but the White House was in a state of confusion that day. Secretary of State Alexander Haig made comment that day of “being in control in the White House”, which set off a controversy.

After his injuries, Mr. Brady became a fierce advocate for gun control, he became famous as a victim of gun violence.

But Brady – nicknamed “the Bear” – was critically wounded when the bullet hit him in the head. He would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, partially paralyzed with brain damage and slurred speech.

But James Brady went on to become one of the country’s leading crusaders for tougher gun control laws in the U.S.

And in 1993, his efforts paid off with the passage of the so-called Brady Bill, signed into law by President Clinton.