James Brady (1940-2014)

President-elect Ronald Reagan, right, introduces James Brady as his press secretary in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1981.

President Reagan's inner staff

On his first full day in office President Ronald Reagan holds an Oval Office staff meeting, Jan. 21, 1981. From left: Deputy chief of staff Michael Deaver, counselor to the president Ed Meese, chief of staff James Baker III, and press secretary James Brady.

Shot outside the Washington Hilton

President Ronald Reagan waves to the crowd just before the assassination attempt on him, after a conference outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., Mar. 30, 1981. Brady is just to Reagan's left. Reagan was hit by one of six shots fired by John Hinckley, who also seriously injured press secretary James Brady. Reagan was hit in the chest and was hospitalized for 12 days. Hinckley was acquitted 21 June 1982 after a jury found him mentally unstable.

Shot outside the Washington Hilton

Police and Secret Service agents reacts during the assassination attempt on then US president Ronald Reagan, after a conference outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., Mar. 30, 1981.

White House Press Briefing Room

President Ronald Reagan, first lady Nancy Reagan, and press secretary James Brady attend a ceremony to reopen the White House Press Room, Nov. 9, 1981.

Brady bill passed

U.S. President Bill Clinton, left, congratulates former Reagan Administration Press Secretary James Brady, right, on the passage of the Brady bill as Vice President Al Gore and Sarah Brady look on during a meeting at the White House, Nov. 24, 1993. The bill will require a five-day waiting period and background check on handgun buyers.

Brady bill

Former White House Press Secretary James Brady tries on a hat presented to him by a Maryland State Patrol officer during ceremonies at the White House to mark the first anniversary of the gun control bill bearing Brady's name, Feb. 28, 1995.

Brady bill

James Brady, Former White House Press Secretary under US President Ronald Reagan (C), is pushed in his wheelchair by US Rep Charles Schumer, D-NY, during a protest of the repeal of assault weapons vote on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, Mar. 22, 1996. The US House of Representatives voted to lift the assault-type weapons ban by a vote of 239-173. The Clinton Administration has vowed to veto the measure if it passes through the Senate.

Democratic National Convention, 1996

James and Sarah Brady walk onto the stage of the Democratic National Convention in the United Center in Chicago, Aug. 26, 1996.

Gun control advocate

Gun control advocates, former White House Press Secretary Jim Brady, left, and his wife Sarah speak to reporters outside the US Capitol about the expiration of a five-day waiting period for the purchase of a handgun, Nov. 30, 1998. Brady said the new instant background check is flawed and will allow more guns into the hands of criminals and people who shouldn't have them. US Rep. Jim Moran, D-VA, is behind at left.

James Brady Press Briefing Room

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, center, smiles as former press secretary under President Ronald Reagan, James Brady (sitting) shakes hands with US President George W. Bush during the final press briefing in the old James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Aug. 2, 2006. Former press secretary Marlin Fitzwater, left, and former press secretary Ron Nessen, second from right, and Brady's wife Sarah Brady look on. The Briefing Room, as well as the press working spaces, are being renovated.

James Brady Press Briefing Room

A plaque hangs in the White House press room dedicated to former Ronald Reagan Press Secretary James Brady in Washington, DC, Aug. 2, 2006. White House press corps will leave their facilities for estimated nine months while the outdated briefing and work areas are renovated.

Press Briefing room

U.S. President Barack Obama, right, enters the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House for a statement on the Malaysia Airlines crash over eastern Ukraine, July 18, 2014.