Previewing her upcoming special, CNN reporter Deb Feyerick praised NRA board member Ted Nugent for his “deep connection with the facts” on gun violence. But Nugent's radical views on gun ownership and outrageous and offensive comments about President Obama and prominent Democrats demonstrate that he is not a credible source for information on guns.
On Erin Burnett OutFront, Feyerick previewed a CNN special recorded at Nugent's home that featured a conversation about strengthening gun laws. During the segment Feyerick lauded Nugent for his “very firm grasp of the facts” about gun violence. Feyerick went on to describe Nugent as having “a very deep connection with the facts and the facts that he needs to make his argument”:
But despite Feyerick's repeated praise, Nugent is an extremist on the subjects of both guns and government. Nugent has espoused numerous outrageous and offensive comments about gun violence and prominent Democratic politicians.
On the subject of gun violence, Nugent compared gun owners to Rosa Parks, claiming “there will come a time when the gun owners of America, the law-abiding gun owners of America, will be the Rosa Parks and we will sit down on the front seat of the bus, case closed.” Nugent's comments were heavily criticized by civil rights leaders. In his Washington Times column, Nugent wrote that the “embarrassing, politically correct culture” of the U.S. that “mocks traditional social values” contributed to the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.
Following the 2010 mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and left then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords with critical injuries, Nugent advised conservatives to avoid calls for more civil discourse and “turn up the rhetoric.” Nugent has also called on anyone who uses the phrase “gun control” to be jailed.
Nugent has also espoused radical and offensive comments about public figures. He recently equated the decision to have Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder lead gun violence prevention efforts to asking serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer for child-rearing advice. Nugent also called on viewers of a radio show he appeared on to arrest Holder and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Nugent reacted to the re-election of President Obama by tweeting that “pimps whores & welfare brats” won the election. In a 1994 interview with Denver, Colorado, alt-weekly Westword, Nugent said of then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, “You probably can't use the term `toxic cunt' in your magazine, but that's what she is. Her very existence insults the spirit of individualism in this country. This bitch is nothing but a two-bit whore for Fidel Castro.” In another Washington Times column, he called the Democratic Party a “modern-day slave master” to low-income Americans.