Reagan Shooter to Spend Most of His Time on Outside

It's quite the step up from the series of 10-day excursions he was once allowed to make outside the mental hospital he's called home since shooting Ronald Reagan in 1981. John Hinckley will now be allowed to stay with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, for 17 days per month, up from the 10 days per month he had been granted. A US district judge approved a recommendation from Washington's St. Elizabeths Hospital in December, Reuters reports, and has now issued the conditions which provide "a giant leap for Mr. Hinckley," his lawyer says. A sampling: He'll be allowed out alone, but must carry a GPS-enabled cellphone and can't visit government buildings.

He and his mother must also call the hospital each day, and the terms of his Internet use, travel, volunteer work, therapy, medication, and even walks within his mother's subdivision have been laid out for him. Hinckley, 58, will also be able to drive on his own, permitted someone is expecting him. His lawyer adds, "There is no reason to fear him." The AP notes Hinckley's visits to his mother's home have lengthened since he was first allowed there in 2006, with the ultimate goal that he will live there permanently. He'll have the chance to expand his freedom even further after he's visited Williamsburg eight times. (More John Hinckley stories.)