Brady Campaign - Efforts and Actions

Efforts and Actions

HCI was the chief supporter of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, known as the "Brady Bill", enacted in 1993 after a seven-year debate; and successfully lobbied for passage of the first-ever Federal Assault Weapons Ban, banning the manufacture and importation of so-called military-style assault weapons, a provision that critics called "arbitrary" and "symbolic". The ban expired in September 2004.

In May 2005, Florida passed a "Stand Your Ground" law that authorized persons attacked in their own home or automobile to use lethal force in self-defense without a duty to retreat; Brady Campaign workers passed out fliers at Florida airports warning tourists that, under what they called the "Shoot First" law, tourists could be shot for simply being rude to a Florida resident. When such laws were proposed in other states, the Brady Campaign warned they would result in vigilantism.

On March 19, 2009, a federal judge ordered a temporary injunction blocking the implementation of the rule allowing concealed carry permit holders to carry firearms concealed within National Park Service lands within states where their permits are valid, based upon environmental concerns, in response to efforts by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees. On May 20, 2009, the injunction was overturned by the passing of an amendment to the Credit CARD Act of 2009, added by Senator Tom Coburn (R, OK) over the objections of the Brady Campaign.