Brady Campaign
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The Brady Campaign or The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence or The Brady Campaign united with the Million Mom March was founded in 1974 as The National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH) by Dr. Mark Borinsky, a victim of gun violence.[1] The NCCH was re-named Handgun Control, Inc. from 1980 until 2001 . On June 14, 2001, Handgun Control, Inc. was renamed the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is a political lobbying group promoting the cause of gun control.
Some critics claim that the Brady Campaign has been ineffective since the Democratic Party lost control of Congress in January 1995. Since then the "assault weapons" ban has been allowed to expire; legislation protecting gun manufacturers and dealers against lawsuits by crime victims has been enacted in Congress and in several States; and the pro-gun opinions of former senator John Ashcroft were no impediment to his confirmation as Attorney General in 2001.[citation needed]
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is a sister organization that was also spun out of Handgun Control, Inc. on June 14, 2001. It is a registered not-for-profit organization which focuses on education and litigation and not political lobbying.
On October 1, 2001, the Million Mom March merged with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.[2]
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[edit] Leadership
James Brady and his wife, Sarah, have been influential in the organization since at least the mid-80s. Sarah Brady became the Chair of Handgun Control, Inc. in 1989 , replacing Pete Shields, who had held that position since 1978.
From 2000 to May 2006 former Maryland Congressman Michael D. Barnes was the president of the Brady Campaign. He was succeeded by former Fort Wayne, Indiana mayor Paul Helmke
[edit] Stated Mission
As stated on the Brady Campaign's website, "we work to enact and enforce reasonable gun laws, regulations, and public policies through grassroots activism, electing public officials who support gun laws, and increasing public awareness of gun violence." The Brady Campaign is recognized in the United States country as a leading gun control advocacy organization[citation needed], and have helped spearhead gun-control legislation at state and national levels[citation needed].
In 1976, HCI's Chairman stated that the long-term goal of the organization was a ban on handgun ownership.[3]
[edit] Past Efforts and Actions
The Brady Campaign was the chief supporter of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, known as the "Brady Bill", enacted in 1993 after several years of debate; and successfully lobbied for passage of the first-ever Federal assault weapons ban, banning the manufacture and importation of so-called military-style "assault weapons", a provision that gun-rights critics called arbitrary and symbolic. This has since been replaced by a computerized background check system.
[edit] Criticism
The Brady Campaign has come under severe criticism from both gun-owners groups (such as the NRA) and non-aligned parties, due to its frequent use of inaccurate information and unsourced data regarding firearms and ammunition[4][5]. Gun advocacy groups have protested at what they see as the demonisation of a sport through disinformation and unfounded hysteria. Some of the more famous examples include the labelling of semi-automatic or self-loading rifles as "assault weapons", calling for the ban of non-existent "plastic guns",[6][7] and description of hollow-point handgun ammunition as "cop-killers"[citation needed].
This information was widely exploited by media outlets, despite the fact that most types of hollow-point ammunition actually penetrate less than conventional jacketed rounds, thus being incapable of defeating police department-issue Kevlar vests.
[edit] Identity confusion
As noted previously, the Brady Campaign was founded in 1974 as The National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH). Unfortunately, this name was often confused with the similarly-named "The National Council to Ban Handguns", subsequently known as "The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence" also started in 1974.[8][9] These two organizations, The National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH) and "The National Council to Ban Handguns" were entirely separate organizations.
[edit] Further reading
- "A Reporter At Large: Handguns," The New Yorker, July 26, 1976, pp. 57-58
- "First Reports Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies for Preventing Violence: Firearms Laws" The CDC, October 3, 2003[10]
[edit] See also
- Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
- List of United States firearms topics
- Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
- The Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
[edit] References
- ^ The Brady Campaign - press releases
- ^ http://www.millionmommarch.org/aboutus/2000march/
- ^ Richard Harris, "A Reporter at Large: Handguns," New Yorker, July 26, 1976, 53, 58
- ^ Gun Owners of America Press Release, Jan 15, 2003 http://gunowners.org/pr0301.htm
- ^ GunMuse Blog Entry by Howard Nemerov http://www.gunmuse.com/Blog/Howard%20Nemerov/631
- ^ Kennedy, Michael Plastic Guns: New Weapons For Terrorists?, Toronto Star, May 8, 1988, at B6.
- ^ Ruhl, Jesse Matthew; Rizer, Arthur L. III; Wier, Mikel J. Gun Control: Targeting Rationality in a Loaded Debate, The Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy, Volume XIII Number III http://www.law.ku.edu/journal/articles/v13n3/ruhl.pdf
- ^ National Review - Taking aim at the constitution
- ^ THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS - Report of The Subcommittee On The Constitution Of The Committee On The Judiciary United States Senate Ninety-Seventh Congress - Second Session
- ^ First Reports Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies for Preventing Violence: Firearms Laws,Robert A. Hahn, Ph.D.; Oleg O. Bilukha, M.D., Ph.D.; Alex Crosby, M.D.; Mindy Thompson Fullilove, M.D.; Akiva Liberman, Ph.D.; Eve K. Moscicki, Sc.D.; Susan Snyder, Ph.D.; Farris Tuma, Sc.D.; Peter Briss, M.D.
[edit] External links
- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - official website
- Annual State Report Cards - Brady Campaign rating state's leaders laws and policies that promote a reduction in gun violence
