History of gun control in America
POSTED: 11:34 AM PST Dec 17, 2012
UPDATED: 07:18 AM PST Jan 30, 2013
Back in the spotlight in today's Senate hearing, gun control is a contentious issue that dates back to America's Founding Fathers.
Gary Hershorn/Reuters
In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act into law. The act, which instituted federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States, was named after James Brady (left), who was shot by John Hinckley Jr. during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981.
