ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Longtime gun-control advocate Sarah Brady is in Maryland urging lawmakers to pass a comprehensive measure aimed at reducing gun violence.

Brady, the wife of former White House press secretary Jim Brady, spoke to reporters on Wednesday in the halls of the Maryland State House before meeting with Gov. Martin O'Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who are backing the bill.

Brady says she has come to promote passage of the measure in its entirety. It would ban assault weapons and strengthen handgun licensing requirements. It also would increase school security and address mental health issues related to firearms access.

Brady's husband Jim Brady was left paralyzed in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan by a mentally ill gunman. The Bradys head the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.