Difference between revisions of "John W. Hinckley"
(New page: {{expand}} '''John W. Hinckley''' was the attempted assassin of President Ronald Reagan. On 30 March 1981, he fired six times at the President, who was leaving the Hilton Hotel ...) |
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Hinckley was tried in 1982, and found not guilty by reason of insanity. To this day he is held in a psychiatric hospital, but there is a push for his release. | Hinckley was tried in 1982, and found not guilty by reason of insanity. To this day he is held in a psychiatric hospital, but there is a push for his release. | ||
| + | The incident also created a national interest in [[gun control]]. Many Americans opposed gun laws that were so lax they let a man with a history of mental illness purchase a gun. Others, including the secret service agent shot by Hinkley, campaigned against the availability of cheap handguns used almost exclusively by criminals. This eventually culminated in the passage [[Brady Bill]] (named for James Brady). The bill included provisions for a mandatory waiting period before purchasing a handgun.<ref>[http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/wbardwel/public/nfalist/brady_act.txt Text of the Brady Bill]</ref> | ||
| + | <ref>[http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Aborn1.html The Battle over the Brady Bill]</ref> | ||
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| + | ==References== | ||
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| + | <references/> | ||
[[category:United States History]] | [[category:United States History]] | ||
Revision as of 23:34, November 30, 2007
Template:Expand John W. Hinckley was the attempted assassin of President Ronald Reagan.
On 30 March 1981, he fired six times at the President, who was leaving the Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. Reagan suffered a serious chest wound, and also shot were the Press Secretary James Brady, a police officer, and a Secret Service agent. All of them survived. After his recovery, Reagans popularity increased.
Hinckley was tried in 1982, and found not guilty by reason of insanity. To this day he is held in a psychiatric hospital, but there is a push for his release.
The incident also created a national interest in gun control. Many Americans opposed gun laws that were so lax they let a man with a history of mental illness purchase a gun. Others, including the secret service agent shot by Hinkley, campaigned against the availability of cheap handguns used almost exclusively by criminals. This eventually culminated in the passage Brady Bill (named for James Brady). The bill included provisions for a mandatory waiting period before purchasing a handgun.[1] [2]