text: Sarah Brady, the wife of a former White House spokesman and a tireless anti-gun violence activist who helped pass major anti-assault weapon legislation, died Friday at the age of 73. Sarah and her husband James crusaded against gun violence after he was shot during an assassination attempt on former US president Ronald Reagan in 1981. The Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence, named in their honor, said they were 'heartbroken' at the news of her death, calling Sarah Brady a 'guiding light.' Scroll down for video . Sarah Brady (right) with her husband former White House Press Secretary Jim Brady in Washington, DC in 2011. Mrs Brady died Friday from pneumonia. Mr Brady died last years from injuries sustained in 1981 . Mrs Brady first got involved in gun control advocacy in 1986 (pictured) after seeing her six-year-old son playing with a loaded hand gun that had been left in a car . 'Together with her husband Jim 'Bear' Brady, Sarah was the heart and soul of this organization and the successful movement it has become today,' the group's president Dan Gross said in a statement. 'Our nation has lost a great hero, and I have lost a dear friend. I am certain that she would want nothing more than to know we are carrying on her and Jim's legacy with the same fiery compassion and dedication that made her so remarkable.' The group said the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, named after the couple and passed in 1993, has blocked an estimated two million prohibited gun purchases in the United States to potential buyers such as felons. Following bills prevented the purchase of military-style assault weapons and required background checks were required for handgun purchases at federally-licensed shops. The  ban ended in 2004 and those who do not pass background checks can still buy weapons online or at gun shows. It has not been renewed despite a majority of Americans consistently favoring a prohibition on assault weapons. Mrs Brady, who trained as a school teacher, was the chairperson of the organization's corporation up until her death. Advocacy from Mrs Brady and her husband (left) helped lead to the passage of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act in 1993. The bill expired in 2004 and has not been renewed . Mr Brady was shot in 1981 in Washington with President Reagan (left) by John Hinckley Jr. The press secretary was the most seriously wounded of the victims (right) and died of his injuries in 2014 . Born Sarah Kemp in 1942, her father was an FBI agent and she hoped to follow in his footsteps while growing up in Virginia. She ultimately didn't because of a lack of women agents. In the late 1960s she met Jim Brady while working for the Republican Party in Illinois. She said that she did not get involved in gun control because her husband was shot, and had rejected an offer from a gun-control group in the aftermath of the attack. However, in 1985 she found her six-year-old son playing with a fully loaded pistol that someone had left lying around in a car. The gun was a cheap 'Saturday night special', much like the one that had been used to shoot her husband. Mrs Brady began campaigning against the 1986 McClure-Volkmer bill, which was ultimately signed by Reagan and loosened gun restrictions. The 1993 'Brady Bill' was passed after seven years of opposition from the National Rifle Association. 'Although we disagreed on public policy, Sarah Brady was an honorable American who we always respected,' the NRA said of the advocate's death, according to CNN. Mrs Brady continued her advocacy even after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, notably pushing for more background checks after the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012 . The former school teacher (right) was honored by a number of organizations for her advocacy. Above, she accepts the USO Woman of the Year award with Elizabeth Taylor (left) Jim Brady died in August 2014 from complications relating to the 1981 shooting by John Hinckley Jr, and a coroner ruled the death a homicide. Hinckley, who had shot the president in an attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster, was ruled insane and still remains in a mental hospital. Brady had been gravely wounded and was left wheelchair-bound and with brain damage. The failed assassination also wounded three others, including Reagan. Sarah Brady was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2000 and was told she would likely not survive more than five years, according to the Los Angeles Times. She wrote about her experiences in a 2002 book, A Good Fight, and has received awards from the League of Women Voters, the State Department, the USO and Sara Lee Foundation. The advocate died in Virginia from pneumonia. Mrs Brady is survived by her and Jim's son and her stepdaughter.
target: Mother became advocate after seeing her son play with loaded pistol .
  She and husband Jim  helped pass assault weapon 'Brady Bill' in 1993 .
  Mrs Brady died Friday in her native Virginia from pneumonia .