Rock musician Ted Nugent is being investigated by Michigan State Police after reportedly bringing a weapon into the state Capitol building, breaking the building’s gun ban. Click On Detroit first reported the incident.
Michigan State Police Director Shanon Banner explained how it happened. He said Nugent was screened at the north entrance of the Capitol, and the security system did detect a possible weapon. However, the trooper at the entry point didn’t notice the alert until after Nugent had already left the area.
“Mr. Nugent was screened at the north entrance of the Capitol yesterday,” Banner said. “The weapons detection system functioned correctly and alerted to a possible weapon; however, the trooper staffing the entry point did not see the alert until after Mr. Nugent left the screening area.”
After Nugent finished his meeting inside, police approached him, explained the Capitol’s weapons policy, and he complied. Banner added that they are still looking into how the alert was missed and will take steps to keep it from happening again.
“Upon completing his meeting, MSP personnel contacted Mr. Nugent and notified him of the weapons policy, and he complied,” Banner continued. “We are still evaluating how the weapons detection alert was missed and will be following up to ensure this does not happen again.”
This is not Nugent’s first run-in with legal trouble over guns or hunting. He’s long been outspoken about Second Amendment rights and sees himself as a strong supporter of gun ownership in America. But he has also faced past issues, including pleading guilty in Alaska to a misdemeanor for taking too many bears, which led to a $10,000 fine and a one-year hunting ban there. As part of that case, he also had to make public service announcements about hunting responsibilities.
Despite these incidents, Nugent continues to be a loud voice for gun rights, often criticizing those who want stricter gun laws. The investigation into this latest matter is still ongoing as officials work to make sure security lapses like this don’t happen again.
