James Brady Dies: Ex White House Secretary, Gun Control Advocate Dead At 73 [Breaking]

James Brady, the White House press secretary under former President Ronald Reagan, has died at 73.

Family members of the longtime gun control advocate said the long suffering Brady passed away Monday. No other details are available about a cause of death, citing a report by NBC News.

Brady’s family released a statement after his death. It read:

“Jim touched the lives of so many and has been a wonderful husband, father, friend and role model. We are enormously proud of Jim’s remarkable accomplishments – before he was shot on the fateful day in 1981 while serving at the side of President Ronald Reagan and in the days, months and years that followed. Jim Brady’s zest for life was apparent to all who knew him, and despite his injuries and the pain he endured every day, he used his humor, wit and charm to bring smiles to others and make the world a better place.”

James Brady was shot in 1981 by John Hinckley, Jr. during an assassination attempt on then President Reagan and was subsequently disabled as a result of his injuries. Following the failed attempt, he was confined to a wheelchair.

Brady fought for years in an effort to control guns and provide stricter laws governing ownership and use. Eventually his efforts paid off. In 1993, former President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act aka the Brady Bill into law. More honors in Brady’s name followed, including the naming of the Press Briefing Room after him (James S. Brady Press Briefing Room).

Jim Brady, as he was affectionately called, according to CBS News, was shot by a hollow-point bullet, a round often used by police and paramilitary units. It damaged a portion of his brain and rendered him paralyzed. After years of surgeries and other interventions, he fared “better than most” people in the similar situations, according to a doctor. However, in 2006, Brady said the incident still frightened him.

“He scares me. cause he doesn’t have 52 cards in his deck. He didn’t the day that he shot at us. He got six rounds off and hit four of us,” he said of Hinckley, Jr.

James Brady died after living a long and influential life in politics. Ironically, he never worked as a journalist before landing the high-profile job as President Reagan’s Press Secretary.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.

[Image courtesy of statesman.com and mholloway63.files.wordpress.com]