A month after getting into hot water on the Republican campaign trail, Ted Nugent is back in the saddle.
Nugent, the rock musician, conservative pundit, and vociferous gun advocate, is raffling off an AR-15 rifle to benefit former Rep. Tom Tancredo’s run for Colorado governor, according to
ABC News.
The return to the national spotlight comes after he called President Barack Obama a "subhuman mongrel" in January, which drew negative attention to
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s gubernatorial campaign as Nugent stumped for him in February.
Now Nugent is making a personal appeal to voters in a message accompanying an
online raffle form for the AR-15.
"Ted Nugent here, with an important message for you: There's a very good reason I'm supporting Tom Tancredo in his gubernatorial campaign," Nugent says in the raffle message. "Tom is relentless. As a congressman, he made waves in Washington by vehemently opposing President Bush's wasteful spending spree, amnesty for illegal immigrants, and of course, insane infringements to our sacred Second Amendment rights. Mark my words: We'll keep our guns if Tom wins this race."
Tancredo has denounced a gun-control bill that incumbent Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law in 2013. During his 10 years in Congress, Tancredo voted to reduce waiting periods for firearm purchases, but also supported legislation to restrict semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines, according to ABC.
Gun raffles are becoming an increasingly popular campaign tool for Republican candidates, with Tancredo joining the likes of South Carolina state Sen. Lee Bright, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga.,
The Huffington Post reports.
The AR-15 became a
cultural touchstone after it was allegedly used by Adam Lanza to kill 26 students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012. The semi-automatic rifle is popular with hunters and gun enthusiasts but is seen by gun-control advocates as a symbol of an excessively armed populace.
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