John Hinckley Jr., The Man Who Shot Ronald Reagan, Says No To Violence

In 1981, John Hinckley Jr. tried to kill the president.

Today, following the alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Hinckley Jr. shared on X, “Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance.”

On March 30, 1981, the then 25-year-old attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Hinckley fired six shots, one of which hit Reagan in the chest, narrowly missing his heart. White House Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and police officer Thomas Delahanty were also wounded in the attack.

Hinckley claimed he was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster, with whom he was obsessed. Reagan survived the assassination attempt, and Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a psychiatric facility.

After his release, Hinckley has been attempting to delve into life as a musician, hoping people will give him a second chance and listen to his folk music. Hinckley said writing music—a pursuit he initially abandoned after years of following his dream into his 20s— now reflects his desire for a positive mental attitude with themes like love and redemption.

“I want people to know that I’m coming in peace, I stand for peace now,” he said. “I know I’m known for an act of violence, but I’m a completely different person than in 1981.”

Public redemption has seemingly been off the table for him though, at least as a performing musician. Venues in the past have booked him only to cancel at the last minute, which he referred to as “stunt bookings.” His shows have previously been canceled in New York, Virginia, and Hamden, Connecticut.

In 2022, while speaking to Fred Pessaro at CREEM, he talked about a show he had booked in Brooklyn that quickly sold out, but the venue canceled citing security reasons while issuing a statement speaking “about mental health and possible atonement.”

“I did have, and still have, notions of playing some live dates, but I’ve been met with resistance. I’ve had three shows canceled in the past few months—it was just really a big disappointment.”

In March of this year, he was set to have a concert in Connecticut on the 30th, the anniversary of the shooting, at “one of Connecticut’s newest concert venues.” However, he announced in a post that the concert was postponed. He then joked in frustration, “With all of my concerts canceled, it’s a fair statement to say I’m a victim of cancel culture!”

You can listen to John Hinckley Jr.’s music on Spotify.