Vice President Joe Biden used the just-announced death of a former White House press secretary James Brady to call for more gun control.
Brady was wounded during the 1981 attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, and subsequently became a much-lauded advocate for gun control.
“It’s been three decades since he nearly lost his life to an assassin’s bullet fired at President Reagan from a gun bought with no background check,” Biden wrote. “Because of the Brady’s leadership and the gun violence prevention law named in Jim’s honor, sensible background checks to date have kept 2 million guns out of the wrong hands.”
“Countless lives have been saved… [and] countless more can be saved—in our school and on our streets—if we carry forward the legacy of Jim Brady that turned personal tragedy into service to country and to each other,” said Biden.
President Barack Obama’s statement was more reserved.
“Jim is a legend at the White House for his warmth and professionalism as press secretary for President Reagan; for the strength he brought to bear in recovering from the shooting that nearly killed him 33 years ago; and for turning the events of that terrible afternoon into a remarkable legacy of service through the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence,” said Obama’s statement.
“Since 1993, the law that bears Jim’s name has kept guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. An untold number of people are alive today who otherwise wouldn’t be, thanks to Jim,” said Obama.
Biden, however, made a big deal about Brady’s post-assassination advocacy, perhaps because’s he needs to rally support from gun-control groups prior to the 2016 nomination race, and ended his statement with a shout-out to a gun-control group.
“Our deepest condolences to Sarah, son Scott and daughter Melissa, the entire Brady family, the dedicated staff at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence,” said Biden.