Library Backs Out From Hosting Reagan Assassin John Hinckley

Concert nixed following a Free Beacon inquiry

Joseph Simonson • August 3, 2022 11:30 am

Following an inquiry from the Washington Free Beacon, a Virginia public library nixed an upcoming concert from the man who tried to assassinate former president Ronald Reagan.

The Williamsburg Regional Library told the Free Beacon that although John Hinckley had every right as a Virginia resident to reserve its theater for a musical performance, the library canceled the show after concluding that “the event would be disruptive to operations.”

The cancellation comes after Hinckley announced Tuesday that he would be performing at the Virginia library’s theater in November. Hinckley suggested that his followers on Twitter “arrive early” as the theater only seats 268 people.

Hinckley attempted to kill Reagan with a handgun two months into his presidency, leaving the former president, a police officer, a Secret Service agent, and Reagan’s press secretary with serious injuries. Hinckley was confined to a psychiatric hospital from 1982 to 2016 after being found not guilty by reason of insanity.

During his time in a psychiatric hospital, Hinckley recorded music and took up painting. Some of his songs include “We Have Got That Chemistry” and “The Majesty of Love.” Law enforcement concluded that Hinckley’s motivation for trying to kill Reagan was a desire to impress actress Jodie Foster.

After a judge granted his unconditional release in June, Hinckley began sharing his interest in Democratic Party politics on social media. In July, he tweeted that he believes in “equity, LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, animal rights, race mixing, assault weapon ban, sharing the wealth, Green New Deal, Black Lives Matter, Prison reform and good rock ‘n’ roll.”

According to Hinckley, the Washington Post is working on a profile about him. On July 30, Hinckley said the newspaper sent a photographer to his home.