Reagan had courage to curb guns, GOP told

Despite four mass shootings in as many weeks and gun violence spiking in Detroit and Chicago, American dialogue on all the bang-bang seems as far away as ever.

Here in Tampa, meanwhile, the GOP's continuing fetishization of the Ronald Reagan era proceeds apace. And so today, in an open letter to Republican delegates, Jim Brady brought these two disparate thoughts together very nicely, reminding the party faithful that among his many other attributes, Reagan was an active campaigner for gun control.

You may remember that Brady, a former Reagan press secretary, took a bullet to the head during the March, 1981, assassination attempt on Reagan. Since leaving the White House, he and his wife Sarah have worked tirelessly for life-saving gun policies, including the Brady Bill that introduced background checks for gun purchases when it was signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993.

Brady, who turns 72 today, urged neo-Reaganites in Tampa that "President Reagan not only supported (gun control legislation) but worked actively to assure their passage, as did all but one living president. Republicans worked with Democrats to do what was right for the country."They understood then, as we must understand now, that, as a nation, we are better than this," said Brady, whose online campaign live here.

Brady is urging delegates to "help your nominee, Mitt Romney, by telling him not to be afraid ... to join the national conversation" on firearms. With the National Rifle Association distracting delegates with events like Tuesday's skeet shooting competition in nearby Land O'Lakes, Fla., the odds of Brady's plea hitting home are slim indeed.But give him points for never letting up. And for readying to deliver the same message to Charlotte, N.C., for next week's Democratic National Convention.