How the Brady Bill Shaped Today’s Debate on Gun Laws | Retro Report

Examine how the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan and the shooting of his press secretary, Jim Brady, in the 1980s led to the passage of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, also known as the Brady Bill. It was the first piece of legislation to mandate background checks for gun purchases and set the stage for further regulation in the 1990s. Decades later, lawmakers and the American public continue to debate gun control legislation against a backdrop of continued mass shootings.