The Brady bill and its passage

The Brady bill and its passage IntroductionThe legislative process in the United States Congress shows us an interesting drama inwhich a bill becomes a law through compromises made by diverse and sometimes conflictinginterests in this country. There have been many controversial bills passed by Congress, butamong all, I have taken a particular interest in the passage of the Brady bill. When the Bradydebate 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 televisionnews reports on the Brady debate, I wondered what was making it so hard for this gun controlbill to pass in this gun violence ridden country. In this paper, I will trace the bill's seven yearhistory in Congress, which I hope will reveal how partisan politics played a crucial role in theBrady bill's passage in this policy making branch.English: President George W. Bush hosts seven Whit...The Brady bill took its name from Jim Brady, the form er press secretary of PresidentReagan, who was shot in the head and partially paralyzed in the assassination attempt on thepresident in 1981. This bill was about a waiting period on handgun purchases allowing police tocheck the backgrounds of the prospective buyers to make sure that guns are not sold toconvicted felons or to those who are mentally unstable. Even the proponents of the bill agreedthat the effect of the bill on curbing the gun violence might be minimal considering the fact that themajority 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 morethan 20 years, and it meant a significant victory for gun control advocates in their way towardeven stricter...