Twenty-nine years ago today, President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest by a deranged man, John Hinckley Jr. Reagan was walking out of the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1981, when Hinckley, standing among a group of reporters, began firing at the president and others in his group.
One of the six shots collapsed Reagan’s lung. White House Press Secretary James Brady was shot in the head, while Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and D.C. Police Officer Thomas Delahanty were also shot. Reagan, 70, was able to walk into the hospital under his own power and resumed some of his duties the following day after surgery.
Reagan’s popularity skyrocketed after the assassination attempt. Brady, who nearly died, suffered permanent brain damage and would become an ardent supporter of gun control. In 1993, Congress passed the "Brady Bill," which required a waiting period and background checks for gun buyers. McCarthy and Delahanty also recovered fully.
Hinckley was eventually found not guilty by reason of insanity, a verdict that prompted a wave of public dismay. The 25-year-old was obsessed with the Martin Scorsese film "Taxi Driver," which depicts a cabby who briefly stalks its lead actress, Jodie Foster, and tries to assassinate a presidential candidate,. The assassination of Reagan was intended to win Foster’s affection.
He was sent to a mental hospital and, as his mental illness fell into remission, he was given permission to visit his parents occasionally with supervision, a privilege that continues to this day.
