John Hinckley Jr., now 67, seriously injured the US president during an attack in 1981.
He spent decades in a Washington mental health facility having been acquitted of insanity in a 1982 trial.
Image: President Ronald Reagan gets into his limousine after Hinckley was shot. Photo: AP
He has now been released from court oversight, formally ending ongoing oversight by lawyers and mental health professionals after doctors who examined Hinckley said the risk of violence was remote, and federal prosecutors agreed.
Hinckley Jr. posted on Twitter: “After 41 years, 2 months and 15 days, finally freedom!”
The restrictions were expected to be lifted in September last year.
U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman said earlier that he would release Hinckley Jr. on June 15 if he remained mentally stable in the Virginia community, where he has lived since 2016.
Restrictions including limits on social media have been gradually eased, with Hinckley Jr. now gaining more than 28,000 followers on Twitter.
During a hearing on June 1, Judge Friedman said Hinckley had shown no signs of active mental illness since the mid-1980s – and had shown no violent behavior or interest in weapons.
“I’m sure Mr Hinckley will do well in his remaining years,” the judge said.
Referring to the dispute between the lawyers representing the US government and Hinckley over how much freedom he should be given, Judge Friedman said there was now a unanimous agreement.
“It took us a long time to get here,” he said.
“This is the time to let John Hinckley go on with his life, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Hinckley Jr. became famous after he targeted the 40th president of the United States and three others outside a hotel in Washington.
Reagan recovered quickly after perforated lung surgery.
However, press secretary Jim Brady was left permanently disabled after the first of the six bullets thrown by Hinckley hit his head, breaking the brain cavity.
Image: An artist impression of Hinckley Jr. and his parents in court in 2004. Photo: AP
Reagan’s biographer, HW Brands, said: “If Hinckley had succeeded in killing Reagan, he would have been a pivotal historical figure.
“In any case, it is a misguided soul that history has already forgotten.”
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President Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, opposed Hinckley’s release, calling her a narcissist who did not believe she felt remorse.
