| The Nuge Rocks 900+ At BGSU |
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| Written by Jeff Garvas | |
| Wednesday, 28 March 2007 | |
Never afraid to say what's on his mind, NRA Board Member Ted Nugent addressed a crowd of over 900 at an OFCC co-sponsored event for the Bowling Green State University's College Republicans spring speaker. Addressing the issues of God, war, and of course gun rights, The Nuge kept the crowd roaring with applause and laughter throughout the night. Ohioans For Concealed Carry worked with the College Republicans to help bring the motor city madman to BGSU. OFCC Coordinator Todd Coughlin, Director Daniel White, and I were invited to attend a private dinner with a small number of College Republicans. Earlier in the evening we gathered in a private room where we had a very brief opportunity to mingle with College Republicans and area politicians including Wood County Commissioner Tim W. Brown. Shortly after we sat down we were thrilled to be joined by Ohio Representative Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), Chairman of the House Criminal Justice Committee, and his lovely wife Marcia, who is the Director of Development at BGSU. Chairman Latta is a fixture in the community and graduated from BGHS, BGSU and the University of Toledo College of Law. His committee played a huge role in adopting HB347. Moments later Ted Nugent and his son Toby walked into the private dinner ready to eat, asked if there were any seats available at our table, and sat down across from us. Ted led the room in a brief prayer. For the next hour our cozy table for seven was both enlightened and entertained by Ted's stories and his unabashed say-it-like-it-is attitude. When we all left the table there was no doubt that Ted Nugent is as real as it gets - and he hadn't even stepped on stage before nearly one thousand people waiting to hear him speak in the Grand Ballroom below us. The BG News said Nugent came "preaching the virtues of weapons, hard work and the American Dream to an adoring crowd of more than 900" on its website following the event. Where there are fewer gun control laws, Nugent said, "You not only have a dramatic reduction in violent crime, most personal assault crimes disappear."A number of microphones were setup for students to ask questions following the speech. Despite saying time and time again that there were tofu loving people somewhere in the crowd, nobody dared challenge Ted on the issues he knows so well. One young man, after inviting the guest speaker to his house for a late night venison snack, asked Ted for a good recipe to which he replied "Kill some meat and add fire" leaving the crowd roaring for more. Following the event priority ticket holders, many who purchased their tickets from Ohioans For Concealed Carry's website, were invited to a special book signing. Those who made it into the signing were given a chance to purchase books, photographs, and other items. Proceeds from the purchases benefited Ted Nugent's Kamp For Kids program. We took this opportunity to sneak a photo in with Ted and presented him with one of the few remaining copies of the 2007 Women of Concealed Carry Calendar that was a huge success for our organization.  (Left to right: OFCC Coordinator Todd Coughlin, OFCC Director Daniel White, NRA Director Ted Nugent, OFCC President Jeff Garvas) Earlier in the evening, an attractive young woman approached the microphone, stated that she was a huge Nugent fan, and implied that she intended to get a tattoo soon. 
Like many that came before her that evening she too asked for an autograph from the floor and in his usual form Ted Nugent obliged to the crowd's delight. My personal appreciation for Ted Nugent began quite a few years ago at the Houston NRA Convention when I heard him speak live for the first time in my life. Mentioning the NRA to Ted is like opening a can of worms. If you didn't know, Ted is on NRA News every Monday and he's going to be at the NRA Annual Meeting and Convention in St. Louis next month (as is OFCC). Ted was just recently re-elected to his fifth term on the NRA Board of Directors and he preaches NRA membership, and specifically tells people to go out and buy their friends membership in the NRA to get them involved. The NRA and everyone else in the firearms community are truly lucky to have a knowledgable ambassador like The Nuge that not only speaks the truth, but motivates the rest of us to do the same and make a difference! |