Ted Nugent Pens Letter To U.s. Vice President Joe Biden

Conservative rocker Ted Nugent has listed his suggestions for modifying America's gun control laws in an open letter to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.

The avid hunter has always been outspoken about the need to protect an American's right to bear arms, and, as politicians re-examine gun control laws in the wake of such tragedies as last month's (Dec12) Connecticut school massacre, he is urging Biden to instead focus on the mental healthcare system to stop potentially-violent citizens from acting out crimes.

In an article printed in the Washington Times, he writes, "As you gather your team to study massacres and how to stop them, I offer to you my services and a lifetime of expertise on guns in all their implementations... In the spirit of goodwill and a deep desire to end gut-wrenching, incredibly sad and senseless rampages, I offer you the following recommendations:

"I encourage you to persuade the president (Barack Obama) to lead this effort by providing a number of public service announcements. The announcements should include watching out for each other, encouraging parents to be more involved in their children's lives regarding entertainment choices, and knowing various indicators we should watch for in people who are unstable. Clearly, the focus on solving these mass murders must be on the mentally ill.

"In almost every instance of mass killing, there were ample red flags and warning alarms that either were avoided or were not acted upon by mental health professionals, family members, friends and acquaintances. While I deeply respect an individual's privacy and civil liberties, the American people need basic awareness of what indicators to look for regarding potentially violent, psychotic people. Our collective safety begins with being collectively vigilant."

Nugent adds, "I don't encourage you to recommend a ban on any weapon, magazine capacity or type of ammunition. That won't accomplish anything other than prevent the 99.9 percent of responsible, law-abiding Americans from enjoying these modern weapons as we do now.

"We should never recommend or develop public policy that restricts the rights of the good guys based upon what evil people do or might do. If that were the case, alcohol still would be banned. As you may know, drunk drivers kill an estimated 12,000 Americans each year and hurt tens of thousands more."