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Where'd They Get Their Guns?

An Analysis of the Firearms Used in High-Profile Shootings, 1963 to 2001

Date: March 30, 1981

Location: Washington Hilton, Washinton, DC

Alleged Shooter: John W. Hinckley, Jr.

People Killed: None

People Injured: Four

Firearm(s): RG Industries RG-14 .22 revolver


Circumstances

Hinckley, a mentally unstable man hoping to gain the attention of actress Jodie Foster, shot President Reagan, his press secretary, James Brady, and two members of the President's security detail. One of them, Thomas K. Delahanty, a DC police officer, was wounded as he helped to wrestle Hinckley to the ground.


How Firearm(s) Acquired

The gun used in the shooting and another like it were purchased legally for $47 each from Rocky's Pawn Shop in Dallas, Texas. Hinckley had no criminal record and had never been committed to a mental institution. Though his family lived in Colorado, he had been attending Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, on and off since 1974 and had a valid Texas driver's license.

 
  1. "FBI Says Hinckley Had Twin Revolvers," Associated Press, 31 March 1981.
  2. Dan Collins, "Hinkley's Bizarre Monologue: �It Blew My Mind,'" United Press International, 15 May 1981.
  3. "Gun Purchased in Dallas," United Press International, 30 March 1981.
  4. "Boyhood Friend Says Hinckley Had �Bland Personality,'" United Press International, 31 March 1981.
  5. "Personality Spotlight: Thomas K. Delahanty; Police Officer Wounded by Reagan's Side," United Press International, 31 March 1981.
  6. John M. Crewdson, "Denver Neighbors Reveal Little on Suspect," New York Times, 31 March 1981, sec. A, p. 2.


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 All contents � 2001 Violence Policy Center

 


The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.