Ted Nugent's Legal Troubles: What Laws Did He Break?

Ted Nugent, the American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist, has had a successful music career spanning several decades. However, he has also been involved in several controversies, including making inflammatory statements and facing legal troubles. In 2010, Nugent was charged with 11 misdemeanors related to deer hunting violations in California. This incident, which unfolded on his own television show Spirit of the Wild, resulted in a plea deal where Nugent pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and received a fine.

Deer hunting violations in California

In California, it is illegal to hunt deer using bait. Hunters must also have a deer tag signed by a government official after a kill.

In 2010, Ted Nugent was charged with 11 misdemeanours related to deer hunting in California. Two California game wardens witnessed Nugent allegedly violate several California hunting laws on his television show, 'Spirit of the Wild'. The episode showed Nugent killing a young male deer, or 'spike' buck, with a bow and arrow near Somerset in El Dorado County. The deer also appeared to have been lured with bait, which is illegal in California. Nugent was charged with 11 misdemeanours and eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanours: illegally baiting a deer and failing to have a deer tag signed by a government official after a kill.

Nugent's comments about Barack Obama

In 2007, while brandishing two machine guns, Ted Nugent proclaimed that then-presidential candidate Barack Obama was "a piece of s*." He went on to say, "I told him to suck on my machine gun," and "Hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless b."

In 2012, Nugent told NRA members at the group's annual gathering that he would either "be dead or in jail" if Obama won a second presidential term. These comments were widely interpreted as a threat on Obama's life, and they prompted a Secret Service investigation.

Nugent has also referred to Obama as a "communist-nurtured subhuman mongrel" and a "chimpanzee."

Nugent is a highly provocative figure, controversial even within the National Rifle Association's board, of which he is a member.

Nugent's views on gun control

Ted Nugent is a vocal advocate for gun ownership rights and a board member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). He has made several statements against advocates of gun control, including a 2012 comment that led to an investigation by the Secret Service.

Nugent has stated that if it were up to him, anyone who "uttered the word 'gun control'" would "be put in jail". He has also claimed that rejecting the right to self-defence, which he believes is expressed in the Second Amendment, will destroy American society. In 2016, Nugent posted an image on his Facebook page implying that Jews are behind the push for gun control, sparking outrage and calls for his resignation from the NRA.

Nugent has criticised survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting who became gun control activists, calling them "mushy-brained children" and stating that they "have no soul". In 2018, he said that "evil, dishonesty and scam artists" were "liberal, Democrat, Hollywood, fake news, media, academia, and half of our government". He urged people to "keep your gun handy" and "shoot one" every time they see a "rabid coyote".

Nugent has also used his music to express his views on gun control. In 2024, Pearl Jam covered Nugent's song "Stranglehold" with altered lyrics to be anti-gun. In response, Nugent invited Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder to appear on his television show to discuss gun policies.

Nugent's views on animal rights

As a vocal opponent of animal rights, Ted Nugent has made several statements that have been deemed offensive and threatening. In a 1992 radio interview, Nugent referred to Heidi Prescott of the Fund for Animals as a "worthless whore" and a "shallow slut", asking "who needs to club a seal, when you can club Heidi?". He was ordered by a court to pay Prescott $75,000.

Nugent has also reportedly received death threats against him and his family from animal rights activists. On an episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit!, Nugent said, "We've got reports and files with law enforcement across America where the animal rights extremists are on record threatening to kill my children on the way to school because we eat pheasant."

In a blog post, Nugent wrote about an incident where he and his wife were surrounded by animal rights protesters in San Francisco. He wrote, "When the chanting became escalated and one rather scruffy unclean character threatened to kill my family, I instantly took him into custody with a firm full-nelson and turned him over to San Francisco's finest after I gently introduced his cute little terrorist face to Mr. Brickwall."

Nugent has also been criticised for his ownership of a 340-acre hunting ranch near Jackson, Michigan, called Sunrize Acres. Anti-hunters claim this fenced facility offers "canned" hunts, which Nugent has acknowledged, referring to them as "high fence hunting".

Nugent's views on COVID-19

In April 2021, Ted Nugent announced on Facebook that he had tested positive for COVID-19, which he referred to as the "Chinese shit". He confessed that he had "never been so scared" in his life, despite earlier insisting that the virus was "not a real pandemic".

Nugent's views on the pandemic were that it would be considered "the biggest scam known to man", and he believed that the media had inflated the official death count. He also thought that the virus was a scam made by the "leftists" to remove Donald Trump from office. In addition, he believed that the vaccine was not a real vaccine, but rather an "experimental shot". He also baa'd like a sheep when referring to those who had been vaccinated, and said that he would he would "shove [the vaccine] up your ass" to a protester at a rally in 2023.

Nugent took hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to treat his COVID-19, despite neither being recommended to treat the virus by any health authority.

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