Section One

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October 6, 1992: “The Gunfather”
Washington Post

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Bill required a criminal background check before an individual could buy a handgun. Named after Ronald Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, who was badly wounded during the assassination attempt on Reagan in March 1981, the Brady Bill was first introduced in 1987 and failed numerous times to get through Congress. Democrats in the Senate blamed the National Rifle Association and charged that this powerful gun lobby controlled President Bush.

In 1992, proponents of the Brady Bill launched a campaign to make gun control a political issue in the presidential race. Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton immediately endorsed the bill, while Bush, who was on record as opposing gun control, remained silent.

This cartoon has the title “The Godfather” handwritten on it.