Handguns and such

James and Sarah Brady at the Brady Center to prevent Gun Violence. James served as Pres Reagan’s press secretary and was permanently disabled when he was shot in the head during John Hinckley’s assassination attempt on the president. It was Sarah who stepped up after James’ injury and courageously led efforts to prevent others from enduring what her husband went through. It took seven years before the Brady bill was signed into law in 1993 by Bill Clinton.

We shot this image for Washingtonian Magazine. When we landed at the meager office space, the conference room was stark and crowded with cheap furniture and empty walls. There were however stacks of new posters, leaflets and postcards fresh from the printer. I asked if we could redecorate. It wasn’t long before the walls were filled with makeshift artwork, that certainly addressed their new found focus. The headline read: In 1988 handguns killed 7 people in Great Britain, 19 in Sweden, 53 in Switzerland, 25 in Israel, 8 in Canada, and 8,915 in the United States. God Bless America.

In 1996, Jim received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Clinton, the highest civilian award in the United States. On February 11, 2000, President Clinton officially named the White House Press Briefing Room “The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room” in Jim’s honor. A plaque honoring Jim for his service as White House Press Secretary now hangs in that room.