US Gun control activist Sarah Kemp Brady dies at 73

Sarah Brady, right, and her husband former White House press secretary James Brady are seen during a news conference in Miami, in this Oct. 16, 2000 file photo. (Source: AP)

Sarah Kemp Brady, who became an activist for gun control after her husband was shot in the head in the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, has died.

Brady, 73, died on Friday in a retirement community in Alexandria, Virginia, after battling pneumonia, family members said in an email.

Brady’s husband, former White House Press Secretary James Brady, died Aug 4, also at the age of 73.

The 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan by John Hinckley Jr left James Brady partially paralysed. Four years later, Sarah Brady became involved in gun control. She chaired Handgun Control Inc, which was renamed the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence as a tribute to the Bradys. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was signed into law in 1993 by President Bill Clinton.

“Sarah courageously stepped up after Jim was shot to prevent others from enduring what our family has gone through, and her work has saved countless lives. Sarah was a voice of strength, love and encouragement, and she inspired others, showing that one person could make a difference and change the world which she did,” the family’s statement said.

Dan Gross, president of Brady Campaign, called Sarah Brady “its guiding light.”

Nancy Reagan, Ronald Reagan’s widow, recalled the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt.

In a statement emailed by the Reagan Foundation, she wrote: “Just over 34 years ago, we shared an experience that bonded us for life, as we comforted each other in a tiny, windowless office at the George Washington University Hospital Emergency Room, while awaiting word about whether our husbands would survive the horrific gunshots that had brought them there.”

Source:: Indian Express