Brady Bill to be assessed after two decades

Sarah Brady, chair of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the campaign’s president, Dan Gross, will appear at a National Press Club Newsmaker Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 10 a.m. The news conference will assess the success of the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, more commonly known as the Brady Bill, two decades after it was signed into law. The speakers will discuss additional steps they feel are necessary to prevent gun violence.

President Bill Clinton signed the legislation into law on Nov. 30, 1993 and it went into effect the following February. Enactment of the Brady law changed the then existing “lie-and-buy” system to a “background check-then-buy” system, requiring that every sale of a gun by a licensed dealer be referred to law enforcement for a background check on the purchaser.