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Last updated on Monday, August 4, 2014
(WASHINGTON) - Former White House press secretary James Brady has died.
Brady, whose injuries suffered during the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan led to national gun control regulations, died Monday at the age of 73.
Brady suffered serious head injuries when he was shot by John Hinckley, who was trying to assassinate President Reagan on March 30, 1981. He nearly died of the wounds.
After the shooting, Brady and his wife lobbied for stricter regulations on handguns and restrictions on assault weapons. The "Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act," or "Brady Law," was named in his honor and passed into law in 1993. The federal law requires a background check on handgun buyers.
Although Brady returned to the White House only briefly, he was allowed to keep the title of presidential press secretary and his White House salary until Reagan left office in January 1989.
"While we mourn the loss of our Bear, we take comfort in the time we had with him and the marked impact he had on us and so many other lives. He will forever live on in our memories and in the powerful example he set for all of us," Brady's family wrote in a statement.
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