From: [bill champ] at [claris.com] (Bill Champ) Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns Subject: James Brady Interview Date: 29 Jun 1994 20:49:03 GMT Xdisclaimer: No attempt was made to authenticate the sender's name. PARADE Magazine, June 26, 1994 In step with: James Brady by James Brady Subhead: He was shot 13 years ago by a man trying to kill the President. Today, Jim Brady is still in pain, still fighting to control guns. Article: It was weird going up to the reception desk of this office at 1225 Eye Street in Washington and saying to the young man, "I'm Jim Brady, and I'm here to interview Jim Brady." It is 13 years since a wacko named John Hinckley Jr. pulled a handgun outside the Washington Hilton Hotel and shot President Reagan and his press secretary, James S. Brady, as well as two officers. Today, Brady is still in a wheelchair, still in pain and still battling. I guess most of us know about the "Brady Bill," recently passed into law, that requires a waiting period before buying a handgun--one of the more hotly debated legislative issues in recent Congresses. On one side were Jim, his wife Sarah, and their Center To Prevent Handgun Violence; on the other, the National Rifle Association. As of now, it's Bradys 1, NRA 0. But the fight is far from ended. Mr. Brady was waiting for me in the Center's offices on Eye Street. A big man, dressed in a gray suit, business shirt and tie, he was sitting in a wheelchair, his left side partly paralyzed, his right side vigorous. His voice--which I thought might be slow and faltering--was instead crisp and strong. I started off by asking, "Will there be a Brady Bill Two?" "Yes," he said. "One is in the hopper right now, working its way through both House and Senate." How is it different? "It's the be-all and end-all--to treat guns as we treat automobiles. Before you buy a car, you drive it around the block. You ask Dad for the keys. You take a test, get a license. It makes sense, and the last Gallup Poll indicates 77 percent of the people want it. "This organization [the Center] is not for banning guns but for keeping guns out of the wrong hands. We don't need Uzis out there on the street. I hunt and shoot traps and shoot skeet. But I don't want children carrying handguns. "We have a program for kindergarten through eighth grade, teaching how to resolve conflicts. In my time, if you had an argument at recess, you went out and kicked his butt. Today, they go home and get Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson. We're losing 17 children a day. We're soon gonna lose an entire generation." The first time I ever heard of Jim was when he was press secretary to former Texas Gov. John Connally, who was then making a not-very-successful run for Presidential nomination. "I showed him how to spend $12 million and win one delegate," Brady told me, poking fun at himself. He remembers those Texas years with affection. "Once you make friends down there, you've got friends," he said. His nickname was "The Bear." How did that come about? "At 6 feet 1 and 250 pounds," he replied, "it was easy." I asked how much he could still do. "I can ride a horse," Brady said. "I can sing." He also can wage a reasoned argument. Aren't any hand guns defensible? "For target shooting, that's okay," he said. "Get a license and go to the range. For defense of the home, that's why we have police departments. One of the most dangerous things is to have a firearm to defend your home. It's six times more likely to kill a loved one." Sidebar: Born: Aug. 29, 1940 in Centralia, Ill. Personal: Married Sarah Kemp in 1973; one son. One daughter from a previous marriage. Career Highlights: On the staff of Sen. Everett M. Dirkson (R., Ill.), 1961-62; special assistant to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 1973-75; special assistant to the director of Office of Management and Budget, 1975-76; assistant to Secretary of Defense, 1976-77; on staff of Sen. William V. Roth Jr. (R., Del.), 1977; press secretary to John Connally, then a Presidential candidate, 1979-90; White House press secretary and assistant to the President under Ronald Reagan, 1981-86. Has lobbied for stronger gun laws with his wife, Sarah, who is chair of Handgun Control, Inc.; serves on board of trustees of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence; vice chairman of the National Head Injury Foundation and the National Organization on Disability. Sidebar: Brady's Bits I asked Jim if he was in Pain. "A lot," he said. "And all the time." What does he take? Jocularly, Jim said, "Some days, I feel like rat poison. But I take phenobarbs to keep me from having seizures. I sure don't want another seizure." At that, he grits his teeth and shakes his head. What did it feel like, being shot in the head? "I thought an ice pick was being driven right in over my eye with a ballpeen hammer," he said, gesturing toward the spot where the bullet had entered his brain. Had the attempted assassin, John Hinckley Jr., ever tried to get in touch or apologize? "No," he said, "and I don't ever want to hear from him. I'm trying my best to forget that day." He does hear often from Ronald Reagan and was in California recently for the dedication of the Reagan Library. Does he ever think of giving up, surrendering to pain and quitting his handgun-control campaign? "I'm a tough Irishman," said him. "It's David and Goliath. We're outspent $10 million to $100 million by the NRA. Give up? Not now that we sense we can kick their butts. We're in it for the duration." --------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Champ | Do not adjust your set. 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