James Brady, a former White House press secretary and gun control advocate, has died, his family announced. He was 73.
Brady served as spokesman for President Ronald Reagan. He was struck in the head by a bullet intended for the president during an assassination attempt in 1981.
Asked by NPR's Scott Simon in 2011 how often he thinks about that day, Brady said: "As little as possible. I've worked very hard at forgetting as much about that as I possibly can. But I've not been unable to do it."
The 1993 law mandating federal background checks for handgun purchases was named for Brady, as has been the White House press briefing room.
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