A Brief History
On March 30, 1981, only a bit past two months into his presidency, Ronald Reagan was shot by a mentally ill assassin!
Digging Deeper
Reagan, riding the crest of popularity from being newly inaugurated and the Iranian hostage crisis having been ended on inauguration day, was in Washington, D.C. and had just delivered a speech to an AFL-CIO audience. Outside the Hilton Hotel, Hinckley was waiting with a cheap .22 caliber revolver loaded with 6 rounds. Before Reagan could enter his limousine Hinckley fired all 6 shots at him, hitting the president with a bullet that ricocheted off the limo! Also struck with bullets were Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady as well as a police officer and a Secret Service agent.
A seriously wounded Reagan was pushed into the limo and taken to George Washington University Hospital with a bullet in his chest right up against his heart! With a punctured lung and blood frothing from his mouth, Reagan insisted on walking into the ER on his own two feet! Unfortunately, he was unable to remain that way and collapsed once inside the ER. Emergency surgery saved the president’s life, and the public was reassured that he would be fine soon enough, which was actually a lie as the wound was much more serious than the government spokespeople let on.
The first major cracked aspect of the assassination attempt was that the bullets used by Hinckley were an unusual exploding kind, with a nose packed with a tiny amount of explosive meant to explode on impact. Luckily for 3 of the 4 people shot, only one of the special bullets actually worked, the one that struck James Brady in the head. Brady was very seriously wounded and suffered permanent paralysis, leaving him crippled for life. The police officer and Secret Service agent were luckier and recovered more completely.
Another incredibly cracked aspect of the event was that Reagan was not hit until he was actually pushed into the limo when a bullet ricocheted off the side of the bullet proof car and entered his chest under his arm. Reagan actually thought he had suffered a broken rib from being violently thrown into the limo and did not realize he was shot! The Secret Service likewise thought Reagan had suffered a broken rib that had punctured his lung, resulting in the frothy blood from Reagan’s mouth.
A ridiculously cracked fact about the assassination attempt is that Hinckley, kind of a loser despite being born into a well off family, was mentally ill and taking psychotropic medicine at the time. He had an obsessive crush on Actress Jodie Foster and had seen the movie Taxi Driver at least 15 times!
Hinckley’s defective logic led him to think that shooting the president would get Jodie Foster to notice him, and in a positive way at that!
Reagan recovered and with a surge in popularity from surviving the gunshot as well. Hinckley was found to be not guilty by reason of insanity and has been tucked away ever since. The public was outraged about the insanity plea and the case became a cause celebre for reforming the insanity defense. Nothing has been done since to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill people! That is cracked! The 4 wounded men were most fortunate that Hinckley did not use a more powerful pistol!
Question for students (and subscribers): What would you propose to prevent the mentally ill from buying guns? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Nowrasteh, Cyrus, dir. The Day Reagan Was Shot. Paramount, 2002. DVD.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1597 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1597">88 Comments
Before I participated in preventing a fellow American from buying a gun based on a diagnosis which placed him/her into the category of “Mentally Ill”, I would make darned sure that the person is, in fact, mentally ill. I am professionally qualified to assess what I have witnessed so far as that diagnosis goes. There are, I am sure, competent psychiatrists as well as judges who are willing to respect the lives of the people on whose lives they are making judgments. However, there are far too many psychiatrists who are merely legal drug pushers which is, basically, what they are qualified to do; medical doctors study medicine not people and yet psychiatry is a very powerful discipline. Psychologists, on the other hand, study people in order that they are equipped to assess and treat people. Judges are, to give them the benefit of the doubt, dependent on information given to them by others in order to make judgments. In the case of labeling a person “Mentally Ill”, they are most often influenced by psychiatrists. In the interest of assuring the people of this country protection of their rights and freedoms, I would not be able to make a general statement as to how I would prevent those who have been labeled “Mentally Ill” from buying guns; my participation in that curbing of anyone’s rights would have to be performed on an individual case basis.
I think it says a lot about Reagan’s personality based on the fact that Reagan insisted on walking into the ER on his own two feet although he was seriously injured.
I never knew Reagan was shot, or that the bullet bounced off of the limousine. I think it was a good thing that Reagan thought he had broken ribs instead being shot. It would’ve probably induced a panic.
I didn’t know that Hinckley shot Regan just to gain Jodie Foster’s attention.
It is crazy that both President Reagan and his secret service thought he had actually suffered from a broken rib when in reality he was shot.
It’s astonishing that Reagan insisted on walking into the ER on his own.
With how injured Reagan was I cant believe that he still insisted on walking into the ER on his own two feet.
I did not know he was only 2 months into his presidency, I thought it was longer than that.
They way that bullet actually entered Reagan was interesting. I didn’t realize that if a bullet ricocheted off a bullet proof item, it could still damage and penetrate a victim.
It’s interesting that they only thought Reagan had suffered a broken rib. I don’t understand how the would wouldn’t have bled profusely and alerted them that something was not quite right, though I suppose the dark color of his suit would have hidden the blood from sight.
That’s interesting that he continued to walk to the ER. I would have passed out.
Just think, what would the world be like today if Regan was assassinated…would Trump be running against Clinton?? The smallest of things have the largest impacts
I never really knew the whole story behind the shooting
Reagan’s got some serious heart to walk to he hospital after he was shot, impressive
wow i could never walk to an ER after being shot. That is a scary thing especially it being in the chest and close to the heart.
We definitely shouldn’t let mentally unstable people own guns.
This story was so interesting and I had no idea of any of the details from his shooting.
too many presidents have been shot and it just makes you feel unsafe. If a president with all the protection he has still gets shot, no one is actually safe
Anyone can get a gun nowadays. There needs to be change. I believe that I agree with the idea that Hilary Clinton imposed that “No fly, no buy” policy. If you’re too dangerous to fly, you cannot buy a gun. That seems fair enough so start to stop some of the mentally ill from gaining ahold of a gun.
I agree with “pw.” I wonder sometimes if the assassinations of certain presidents were set ups by the government.
I had never read about his shootings and the details behind it. It was interesting to read.
This is why gun laws need to be stricter and more thorough background checks should be done.
I agree that stricter gun control is needed for the mentally ill. Preventing mentally ill individuals from obtaining guns is difficult due to the variation in state laws, loop holes in background checks and incomplete record sharing.
It would have been very easy to find Hinckley guilty due to insanity because his reasoning for shooting Reagan was to get Jodie Foster’s attention in a positive way. It is sad that he caused a man to be paralyzed for life because of such an absurd fantasy.
Bad people will always be able to get guns, that is why the good guys need them too. The article makes Hinckley sound mentally ill, but I think if you hurt the president or any officer you should get life without parole. If you kill the president or any officer, you should get the death penalty. I think there would be less shootings, if people knew there would be extreme consequences.
I find it so crazy that President Reagan did not know he got shot and he also walked himself to the ER. I do find it scary however, with the amount of security Presidents have, there have been several shootings.
The one good thing to come of all of this was the Brady Bill. Such a terrible situation and horribly strange side note about Hinckley’s celeb obsession.
I think that it’s kind of funny that Regan was shot then walked himself to the ER. I find it scary that the president needs a large level of security surrounding him at all times because people want to shoot them.
I feel that something should definitely be done about the fact that mentally ill people can purchase guns with no questioning. I think that they should have to go through testing and really understand why they are buying the gun.
I find it interesting that he did not even realize he was shot! I am glad he survived the gunshot.
What an amazing story and who would of known he had an exploding bullet
It is amazing to think of how close president Reagan was to dieing, truly a tough man.
It’s interesting how many people were able to purchase guns considering how close he was to dying.
I find it comical that Reagan only thought he had a broken rib rather than being shot. I am glad they got him to the limo when they did so there was not more damage.
Although they were injured and one seriously injured, I’m glad no one died from this devastating incident by a crazy person.
Mt parents talk about this day and when this happened. I am glad he was okay.
I was shocked to learn that Reagan could have avoided the injury altogether since he only got hit with a bullet because he was pushed into the limo at an attempt to keep him safe.
It amazes me how many presidents have actually been shot.
The shooting of President Reagan is often an aspect of American history that many Americans take for granted. I question where we would be as a country if he was killed by the shot.
I have heard of this before, but not the specific details. As someone in the healthcare field I am interested in what health issues Reagan had due to his injury.
That is awesome that he wanted to walk into the ER on his own two feet. That gets the respect from a lot of people. Even though he collapsed in the ER from it, it is still something you do not forget.
I never realized how many presidents were shot in the past. Today there is better protection for the president. I never knew the details of this shooting and I think it is amazing that he walked into the ER on his feet!
President’s always have to show their strength for the nation, this is why he probably wanted to walk in on his own two feet.
It is really sad we still haven’t come any further on the gun control for those who are mentally ill. I remember when this happened, the Nation was so upset about this because President Reagan was so loved and admired.
We should improve the gun control. People who has the history of mental disease should be recorded and forbidden to buy guns.
The amount of presidents we have had that have been shot is strange to me. One would think after the first president got shot there would have been more protection in place.
That was the reason that gun should be controlled.
There will always be these types of people.
the person who tried to assassinate Reagan was actually obsessed with Jodie Foster and was going to try to kill him to impress her. He wrote notes to her when she was in school.
I have always heard that when Reagan was being brought into surgery, he said to the doctors, “I hope you all are Republican,” and a doctor replied that they were all republicans right then. I don’t know how anyone could be so chill in that situation and still make a joke while in immense pain.
After reading this article, I was curious to know more about this “Hinckley” character. I read an article stating that not only was he found not guilty by reason of mental illness, but that he was actually just released from the psychiatric institution recently; September 2016.
You should make controle for the gune.
It is interesting how this story is what changed the law on the legally insane notion. Being pro-gun, I do believe more safe guards should be implemented so that guns do not end up in the hands of mentally unstable people, that does not mean though, that guns should be barred.
I remember when this happened. Somehow, just like Teddy, Regan remained strong and positive and survived. Mindset is everything.
I think when it comes to mentally unstable people HIPAA should apply. I’m glad he survived such a close range shot.
Gun control laws will simply not keep guns out of the hands of a nut case that wants to kill someone with one. The notion that a law will keep a criminal from obtaining a firearm is just ridiculous. They are criminals, by very definition they have no regard for the law.
This is a terrible story you would think that with all of the security this would never happen.
Hinckley was a mentally ill person. Unfortunately for all of us, the current administration is seeing fit to allow mentally ill people to own guns.
It’s unfortunate that its not that hard for people who should own a gun to get one.
Hinckley should have never owned a gun and then had an opportunity to shoot at the president getting all six shots off
This is scary that mentally ill people are able to acquire a firearm. Its astounding people were able to get that close to the President.
Still facing this issue today of people with mental health issues being able to have a firearm.
Mentally ill people are always going to major issue in our society because society does not want to able them, which means they will be allow to have firearms.
From Van Gogh to Hinkley the methods and psychological lapse of judgement in getting a girls attention is historical. Women yield great power and have caused much strain and pain on lives of obsessors.
Very interesting, I had no idea that president Reagan was ever shot. We are lucky that he survived, as he turned out to be a great president.
The fact that only one of the six explosive bullets worked is a stroke of luck. The ricochet bullet was probably the reason President Regan did not die. The bullet would have lost momentum before hitting President Regan resulting in it being right up against is heart instead of in it. I do think the mentally ill should not have guns, but at the same time so many people are diagnosed with mental disorders these days it is becoming harder to decide who is truly mentally ill.
No matter what is done, mentally ill or not, if a bad guy wants to get their hands on a gun, they will and do as they please.
Thank god Hinkley’s assasination attempt was not successful. I am firm believer that President Reagan will go down in history as one of the greatest presidents ever.
It’s such a coincidence that the bullet wouldn’t have hit president Reagan if they wouldn’t have pushed him into he limo to try and protect him.
It is sad to say that you can put any law on the books, but mentally ill people are always going to find a way to get a gun. I was just 10 years old when all happened ..It was tragic that Ronald Reagan was shot, but it is more tragic that Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady was shot in the head,was very seriously wounded and suffered permanent paralysis, leaving him crippled for life. The bad thing was that Hinckley was found to be not guilty by reason of insanity and has been tucked away ever since. To me that does not seem to be enough justice for those who were shot on that day.
I did not know Ronald Reagan was shot! Though Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity, being tucked away in a mental facility can be just as bad as being jailed. Persons with true mental disabilities do not understand their consequences for their actions. Essentially, they live in their own world, which can be rather frightening at times.
I personally didn’t know Reagan was shot. Its sad to say’ but guns are so easily accessible and attainable that it doesn’t surprise me.
We can do all the background checks and have all the laws you want. If an individual wants to get guns and ammunition they can.
I agree with Robert. In America, if a person is determined to get a firearm, they will get one. Legally or illegally. Also, it is awesome that Reagan insisted on walking into the ER on his own two feet. Such a different generation.
I think rules should be in place to discourage dangerous people from obtaining guns, however I agree that with today’s society, if a person wants access to a gun they will obtain one no matter the laws in place.
I would propose that they follow the same protocol as anyone else. Nothing will stop them if they have an agenda. How is a person selling the gun supposed to know they are mentally ill? Ask to see their card?
Glad that all of the exploding bullets didn’t hit him! That is definately not the way to get someone famous to notice you. .. or is it? Yikes
People who want a gun will always find a way to get access to one, regardless of whatever protcol and procedures are in place.
Sidenote: Hinckley Jr. was released from a mental hospital in September 2016, after serving 35 years for this assassination attempt on Reagan.
I suppose with hipaa laws we wouldn’t be able to make people with mentally ill hospitalizations register in a way that could prevent them from buying guns. Like the previous comments, if they want a gun they will get a gun.
President Regan was very lucky that he did not die from the attack. Yet, I am not surprised that the government spokesman downplayed the seriousness of Regan’s condition at the time. I’m sure that wanted to maintain some short of clam. I also did not know that Regan was not shot until he was pushed into the limo. It just goes to demonstrate that at incidents such as Reagan’s assassination attempt, anything can happen. I also agree with the author that we need to do something to stop weapons from falling into the hands of the mentally ill.
Should strengthen the management of firearms, which will reduce the tragedy. For example, the Chinese law for the mentally ill is not guilty, if the murderer to use mental patients to kill, how to deal with the country?
I agree with others that a system that attempts to prevent the mentally ill from having access to guns is a solid strategy for avoiding similar shootings, but I think more of an effort should be made on the part of the government to either help the mentally ill receive the medical attention that they need, or to de-stigmatize mental illness in American society.
Reagan as a president was got shot by other people, he was brave enough to persist by walking with his two feet, it was lucky he did not die
I vaguely remember Reagan getting shot. I was a child at the time and I can remember my parents and teachers talking about the incident. I was definitely a scary time.
Such a awful thing to happen, I am glad that he was able to survive this assassination attempt.
Not all mentally ill individuals should be banned from owning a gun. This is a catch 22 situation. What one medication works for one person might not work for another with the same illness. People with the same illness might have different severities of the illness. This makes it hard to say who and who shouldn’t own a gun with a mental illness.
Ridiculous. No, I would never suggest that “mentally ill” individuals should be prevented from using a gun. There would be no way of proving one to be mentally ill. Everyone would just go to a different doctor to receive the diagnosis they were seeking. Further, it would prevent real mental illness to go untreated in fear of losing their right.
Agreeing with other people comments… No matter what is done, mentally ill or not, if a someone wants to get their hands on a gun, they will and do as they please as no one will stop them even if it is the law.