Ted Nugent calls father of gun violence victim a 'dumb f***' for protesting concert
Ted Nugent dedicated a song during his concert on Tuesday in Virginia to “dumb f***” protesters like Andy Parker, who is the father of a gun violence victim.
The outspoken Republican rocker, who’s no stranger to controversy, said to the audience, according to the Roanoke Times, “If I get too political, f*** you.”
Nugent also dedicated his set to “everybody, including those dumb motherf*****s that were protesting me because they’re still grieving. When you lose a loved one, we pray for you when you lose a loved one. We all prayed for him, didn’t we? How the f*** do you hate the Nugent family when we’re praying for you? You dumb f****.”
Parker led protests in the area for weeks ahead of Nugent’s show. He believed the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre made a negligent decision letting Nugent perform given local tragedies, like his daughter’s death and the Virginia Tech massacre.
However, it hardly deterred the 69-year-old musician, who declared to the crowd, “So go ahead and protest, because the freedom of speech allows you to let the whole world know just what a piece of s*** you are. What the f***. So you know what? I’m gonna pray for him anyway. Because I’ve lost friends, and I grieve.”
Parker is the father of WDBJ reporter Alison Parker, who was gunned down in a Virginia Mall along with her colleague on live TV by a disgruntled employee in 2015. She was 24. Ahead of Nugent’s show, Parker led a “die-in” protest in the lobby of the theater. In a statement, Parker said his family has “experienced the traumatic effects of gun violence.” He declared that Nugent “has a history of vile and insensitive comments and actions. As an NRA board member, Nugent has served as the gun group’s chief dogwhistle officer, sending the message to extreme elements of the pro-gun movement that their racist, misogynistic, homophobic views are welcome within the organization.”
Parker also crowdfunded a mobile billboard near the Berglund Center that said “Boycott Berglund.”
The Roanoke Times reported that Nugent had 1,000 individuals shy of a full house. While there were no protesters in the audience, Nugent’s management team banned fans from bringing in firearms hours before the show. Nugent encourages open carry, which Virginia permits at age 18. Roanoke police wouldn’t tell a local NBC affiliate if there had been any specific or credible threats to the event, only that they wanted to be prepared given the extra attention leading up to the show.
This isn’t the first time Nugent has gone after those affected by gun violence. After February’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., he dubbed the survivors calling for gun control “mushy brained children” and “pathetic” teenage “liars.”
“These poor children, I’m afraid to say, it hurts me to say, but the evidence is irrefutable: They have no soul,” Nugent said while defending the NRA.
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