By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
Rocker Ted Nugent lashed out at Rhode Island Congressman Jim Langevin Tuesday night, spewing insults that got a lot of people buzzing.
Nugent was a guest of Republican Texas Representative Steve Stockman at the State of the Union Address and told reporters Tuesday that Langevin was just another “Ted Hater” and that the Congressman “probably has s**t for brains.”
The comments from Nugent came after Langevin speculated that it was inappropriate for the rocker to be at the State of the Union Address since Nugent had reportedly told NRA members last spring that he would be “dead or in jail” if President Obama was re-elected. Nugent was subsequently questioned by the Secret Service.
“All I said is, I thought it was an odd choice to have Ted Nugent there,” Langevin told Gene Valicenti on the WPRO Morning News Wednesday.
When reporters approached Nugent Tuesday evening and asked him about Langevin’s comments, Nugent had this to offer according to a report from Poltico:
“I threatened the President? Are you kidding me? Why don’t you just say that I’m a gay pirate? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He went on to say:
“Why don’t you talk to the Secret Service guys who visited me and concluded nothing even hinted a threat against the President?”
And then:
“I couldn't be more proud of myself, what I stand for, and for this pompous ass to claim that he cares more about a family that lost a child than I do is a perfect example of the brain dead critics of Ted Nugent.”
So was Langevin upset with Nugent?
“Not at all,” he told Valicenti Wednesday, adding, “We’re not going to let Ted Nugent take away from or distract from… the issue of more responsible gun legislation.”
Langevin, a gun control proponent, was injured in a gun accident when he was a teenager, and has been paralyzed since.
He spearheaded an effort to encourage other members of Congress to offer their State of the Union tickets to people impacted by gun violence. Langevin brought Jim Tyrell of Warwick as his guest to the President’s Speech Tuesday. Tyrell’s sister, Debbie, was shot to death during a robbery in 2004. Langevin and several other Representatives brought people affected by gun violence to Tuesday’s address as a way to send a message about gun control.
Outside of the Nugent controversy, Langevin said he was “pleased” that the President chose to address gun control in his speech. Langevin favors imposing a universal background check for anyone who wants to buy a weapon in the U.S.
Nugent has expressed his belief that stricter gun controls would not reduce gun violence; he himself is a gun owner and has been quoted as saying he carries “a submachine gun in his truck.”
Aside from making waves as an outspoken gun lover, Nugent is famous for his hits like “Cat Scratch Fever” and “Stranglehold.”
Asked if he was a fan of Nugent’s music, Langevin said, “I like a couple of his songs, but I’m not a frequent listener, let’s put it that way.”
