Ted Nugent, who sits on the board of the National Rifle Association, is the latest conservative to launch insults at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School teens who are fighting for stricter gun control laws.
Indeed, on “The Joe Pags Show,” a conservative radio show, he called them “liars” and said they have “no soul.”
“All you have to do now is not only feel sorry for the liars, but you have to go against them and pray to God that the lies can be crushed and the liars can be silenced so that real measures can be put into place to actually save children’s lives,” Nugent said. “These poor children, I’m afraid to say this and it hurts me to say this, but the evidence is irrefutable, they have no soul.”
“The lies from the left, the lies from these poor, mushy-brained children who have been fed lies and parrot the lies, they are actually committing spiritual suicide because everything they recommend will cause more death and mayhem, guaranteed,” Nugent said.
“The dumbing down of America is manifested in the culture deprivation of our academia that have taught these kids the lies, media that have prodded and encouraged and provided these kids lies. I really feel sorry for them because it’s not only ignorant and dangerously stupid, but it’s soulless,” Nugent continued.
“The level of ignorance goes beyond stupidity. Again, the National Rifle Association are a bunch of American families who have a voice to stand up for our God-given, constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms,” Nugent also said.
Once word spread about his malicious remarks, some Twitter users rushed to defend the Parkland students. One survivor from the Feb. 14 shooting, Cameron Kasky, tweeted and demanded an apology.
“If only he saw all the tears. If only he had to look into the eyes I’ve looked into. If only he saw what this did to all of us. And here the NRA is, receiving more fear-based donations than ever. Talk about ‘no soul.’ This guy better apologize. Seriously,” Kasky said on Twitter.
Others, like Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, have publicly wondered why the NRA stays silent when their members launch offensive remarks to teenagers.
Why doesn't the @NRA ever speak out about the disgusting and offensive – not to mention racist, bigoted and sexist – rants of its longtime Board member, Ted Nugent? How can they claim with a straight face to be good actors when this person is steering their ship? https://t.co/cc7l6g1000
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 31, 2018
The Democratic Coalition chimed in.
According to bag of human garbage @TedNugent, the #Parkland students pushing for tighter gun laws are “poor mushy brained children who have been fed lies” and are “committing spiritual suicide.” https://t.co/mDRF8xPVep #Enough
— Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) March 31, 2018
And so did actor Ed Helms.
My thoughts and prayers are with @TedNugent today as he struggles with the senseless tragedy of being @TedNugent.
— Ed Helms (@edhelms) March 31, 2018
Meanwhile, Dana Loesch tweeted from a shooting range.
Range time at @CrossFireRange ! pic.twitter.com/TWe0vOx7iz
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 31, 2018
Of course, Nugent has a history of vehemently defending the Second Amendment. Indeed, he once argued to Piers Morgan on CNN that the man who tried to assassinate Rep. Gabby Giffords was some “guy had gone through the cracks of the mental health system.”
His spiteful comments are likely for attention, but they become part of the running-list of malicious remarks made by conservatives.
As disgusting as these remarks are, as Salon writer Amanda Marcotte explained, they could work out in the favor of the teenagers-and give them more power to create real change.
“Research shows that gun owners are more likely to call elected officials than non-gun owners about gun policy,” Marcotte wrote. “That could change if conservatives keep enraging liberals by picking on these traumatized kids. By trying to undermine these young activists, the right may only be giving them more power.”
