Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
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History of the Brady Campaign The 1990's
Our History: 1990 to 1999
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1999

  • In the first-ever statewide referendum on the subject, the voters of Missouri reject an NRA-sponsored proposal that would allow people to carry hidden handguns.

  • In the wake of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, the U.S. Senate passes legislation to close the gun show loophole. Unfortunately, similar legislation in the House is defeated and the Senate bill stalls in conference committee.

  • In Merrill v. Navegar, CPHV's Legal Action Project achieves the first appeals court ruling that a gun manufacturer can be held liable for negligence leading to the criminal use of a gun.

  • The U.S. Supreme Court rejects a gun industry challenge to the federal Assault Weapons Ban.

  • California passes the strongest package of gun control bills ever enacted by a state in one year. Measures include consumer product safety standards for all handguns manufactured or sold in the state, requiring state-approved child-safety locks with all guns sold, strengthening the state's ban on assault weapons and limiting handgun purchases to one per person per month.

1998

  • CPHV releases On the Front Line, the first comprehensive survey of gun interdiction programs used by law enforcement agencies across the country. The report is designed to be a guide for police departments to assist them with their gun interdiction efforts.

  • April: President Clinton expands the federal Assault Weapons Ban to include "copycat" imports.

  • Connecticut passes a package of gun control measures to close loopholes in the state's gun laws and enable law enforcement to solve gun crimes.

  • Steps to Prevent Firearm Injury in the Home 2 (STOP 2) is launched. STOP 2 broadens the scope of the original STOP program to reach more diverse communities and health care providers in all fields.

  • Massachusetts enacts measures to strengthen the state's gun laws, including requiring child safety locks with every new gun sold, a Child Access Prevention law, a ban on junk guns, and requiring safety training for gun purchasers.

  • With the assistance of CPHV's Legal Action Project, New Orleans becomes the first public entity to sue the gun industry.

  • The people of Florida vote overwhelmingly to allow cities and counties to regulate private sales at gun shows; 11 out of 12 "Dangerous Dozen" candidates who oppose gun control are defeated at the polls.

  • The Brady waiting period expires and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System goes into effect. Background checks are extended to long guns such as rifles and shotguns.

1997

  • The Centers for Disease Control release a report showing that the firearms death rate of children in the United States is 12 times higher than the firearms death rate of children in 25 other industrialized countries combined.

  • The U.S. Supreme Court rejects an attempt by the gun lobby to strike down the Brady background check law.

1996

  • Congress passes legislation to prohibit anyone convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense from buying or owning a gun.

  • CPHV launches Project Lifeline, a national network of health professionals committed to public education on gun violence prevention.

1995

  • In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, the National Rifle Association (NRA) faces intense public scrutiny and widespread criticism for its extremist views against law enforcement. NRA membership drops and President Bush resigns his life membership after it is revealed that the NRA called Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents "jack-booted thugs" in a fundraising letter.

1994

  • The Brady Law goes into effect in the 32 states which have no background check system.

  • President Clinton signs into law the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which includes the first-ever federal Assault Weapons Ban, banning the future manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons.

  • The federal Assault Weapons Ban goes into effect.

  • CPHV and the American Academy of Pediatrics launch Steps To Prevent (STOP) Firearm Injury to train doctors to counsel patients and their families about the risks of guns in the home.

1993

  • Virginia passes legislation limiting purchases of guns to "one per person per month," in response to increasing evidence that Virginia is a source state of crime guns trafficked up and down the East Coast.

  • The Brady Bill, which requires a five-day waiting period and background checks on handgun purchases, is signed into law after a seven-year battle.

1992

  • CPHV launches Straight Talk About Risks (STAR), a gun violence prevention program for children, pre-school through high school, and their families.

1991

  • Sarah Brady becomes Chair of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence.