Sarah and James Brady Reflect on Working Toward Peace
About
twenty years have passed since John Hinckley Jr. fired the
shots that severely wounded my husband, Jim, and drastically
changed our family's life forever. Unfortunately, our experience
is far from unique. Since that time, the same tragedy has
struck hundreds of thousands of American families. Consider
this: In just one year guns are used to kill more than thirty
thousand Americans, and thousands more are injured. The
fear of gun violence alone affects the quality of life of
every American, even those who have never experienced it
firsthand. What we forget is that living in fear does not
have to be an inevitable part of life in America.
But it wasn't Jim's near-fatal shooting that moved me
to get involved on the issue of gun violence. It was my
role as a mother that spurred me into action. In 1985, my
son Scott, then five years old, picked up a loaded pistol
left in a family friend's car and, thinking it was a toy,
pointed it at me. The gun was a .22, the same kind of gun
John Hinckley used to shoot Jim. Fortunately, this time,
no one was hurt. But I thought to myself, what kind of world
do we live in where five-year-olds and mentally unstable
people can easily get their hands on guns? I became determined
to do whatever I could to prevent other families from experiencing
the same tragedy we had. So I picked up the phone and called
Handgun Control. And I've been at it ever since.
The good news is that we have already begun to reverse
the tide of gun violence sweeping across the country. Tough
gun control laws, like the Brady Law, named for my husband,
and the federal assault weapons ban have proven to be successful
at keeping the wrong guns out of the wrong people's hands
and have helped save lives. But more still needs to be done.
We are a nation awash with guns. It is estimated that
there are more than 200 million guns in America. That's
almost one gun for every man, woman, and child. The widespread
availability of guns, especially handguns and assault weapons,
to criminals and children in this country spurs lethal violence
on a frighteningly regular basis. Today in America, more
than eleven children are killed by guns every day. Altogether,
we lose close to 100 people to gun violence daily. Guns
are still the second leading cause of injury-related death
in the United States, after motor vehicle-related incidents.
If guns made us safer, as the powerful gun lobby likes
to argue, then we'd already be the safest country in the
world. But sadly, America is the most violent industrialized
country on earth. Consider: In 1996, handguns murdered 213
people in Germany, 106 in Canada, 30 in Great Britain-and
9,390 in the United States. In a nation that rightfully
calls itself the last remaining superpower, this is a travesty
of our strength and our ideals. And, a nation that glorifies
guns should not be surprised when children act out their
darkest fantasies with those same weapons, as happened in
all-American towns like Jonesboro, Arkansas; Paducah, Kentucky;
Springfield, Oregon; and Littleton, Colorado.
I am optimistic that we can change-that there will be
a time in Jim's and my lifetime when we will no longer be
afraid of guns invading our schools, workplaces, places
of worship, parks, shopping malls, and homes. Our fight
is not over.
Getting involved in the gun control movement did not feel
like a choice. I felt that my personal experience compelled
me to do so. The honor of working for a cause in which Jim
and I truly believe has been a reward in itself.
Biography
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