Introduction
The legislative process in the United States Congress shows us an interesting drama in
which a bill becomes a law through compromises made by diverse and sometimes conflicting
interests in this country. There have been many controversial bills passed by Congress, but
among all, I have taken a particular interest in the passage of the Brady bill. When the Brady
debate was in full swing in Congress about three years ago, I was still back in my country,
Japan, where the possession of guns is strictly restricted by laws. While watching television
news reports on the Brady debate, I wondered what was making it so hard for this gun control
bill to pass in this gun violence ridden country. In this paper, I will trace the bill's seven year
history in Congress, which I hope will reveal how partisan politics played a crucial role in the
Brady bill's passage in this policy making branch.
BRADY CHESIRE
James Brady in August 2006
English: President George W. Bush hosts seven Whit...The Brady bill took its name from Jim Brady, the former press secretary of President
Reagan, who was shot in the head and partially paralyzed in the assassination attempt on the
president in 1981. This bill was about a waiting period on handgun purchases allowing police to
check the backgrounds of the prospective buyers to make sure that guns are not sold to
convicted felons or to those who are mentally unstable. Even the proponents of the bill agreed
that the effect of the bill on curbing the gun violence might be minimal considering the fact that the
majority of guns used for criminal purposes were purchased through illegal dealers. However,
the Brady Bill represented the first major gun control legislation passed by Congress for more
than 20 years, and it meant a significant victory for gun control advocates in their way toward
even stricter...