In the aftermath of the Congressional baseball shooting that has left House Majority Whip Steve Scalise in critical condition and others injured, veteran rocker and conservative firebrand Ted Nugent said he would no longer say anything that could be seen as inciting violence against political rivals. 
 
 Yes, that Ted Nugent. 
 
 Appearing on WABC Radio’s Curtis & Eboni, the Motor City Madman said that he’s now been convinced that he can’t speak in “harsh terms” anymore, citing his wife for showing him a better way. He also encouraged others to take on a more civil tone. 
 
 “I cannot and I will not and I encourage even my friends/enemies on the left in the Democrat and liberal world that we got to be more civil to each other,” Nugent stated. “The whole world is watching America where you have the God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And we have to be more respectful to the other side.” 
 
 He added, “I’m gonna take a deep breath, and I’m gonna back down. And if it gets fiery, if it gets hateful, I’m going away and I’m not gonna engage in that hateful rhetoric anymore.” 
 
 Nugent also addressed his past inflammatory comments about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, notably when he said they should suck on his machine gun, attributing them to rock and roll energy. 
 
 “I’m not trying to make excuses, but when I made those wild ass comments on stage against then-Senator Hillary Clinton and then-Senator Barack Obama, I don’t know if you can grasp the degree of adrenaline and intensity and over-the-top animal spirit and attitude that I live on stage,” he said. Nugent added that he now has to take a “deep breath” and focus his energy on music. 
 
 “I will avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence,” the Nuge noted. 
 
 He further explained that he never meant the machine gun remarks literally and that he doesn’t “want anyone’s lips on my machine guns.” 
 
 Besides the aforementioned Hillary/Obama gun remarks, Nugent has also called Obama a “subhuman mongrel,” claimed he would be in jail or dead if Obama were reelected in 2012, and called the former president the devil while saying Bernie Sanders should “eat shit and die.” 
 
 Listen to the clip above, via WABC Radio. 
 
 [image via Doug James / Shutterstock.com] 
 
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 Ted Nugent has promised to tone down his incendiary rhetoric, and he’s calling on friends and enemies alike to join him. 
 
 The rock musician and conservative firebrand said in a radio interview Thursday that he’s had a change of heart in the wake of the shooting in Alexandria, Virginia that left a Republican congressman and several others wounded and the suspect dead. 
 
 “At the tender age of 69, my wife has convinced me that I just can’t use those harsh terms,” Nugent said on Curtis & Eboni, of WABC Radio in New York. “I cannot, and I will not, and I encourage even my friends-slash-enemies on the left in the Democrat and liberal world that we have got to be civil to each other.” 
 
 He added, “I’m going to take a deep breath and I am going to back it down, and if it gets fiery, if it gets hateful, I’m going away. I’m not going to engage in that kind of hateful rhetoric anymore.” 
 
 As cohost Eboni Williams noted, Nugent has a history of making crass, outlandish, and threatening statements about Democratic leaders like Barack Obama, whom he once invited to “suck on my machine gun,” and Hillary Clinton, whom he has said should be hanged for treason. In 2012, Nugent found himself face to face with the Secret Service after making menacing remarks about then-President Obama. 
 
 Nugent said Thursday, though, “I’ve got to get my psyche in tune [so] that I can still hold the ground — and I can be feisty, I can be fiery, I can be passionate. But I will avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence.” 
 
 He also contended, rather inaccurately, “I have never referenced violence; I’ve said some smart-ass stuff in the past.” 
 
 Williams immediately challenged him, saying, “Come on, Ted. I think some people might have certainly taken it that way for sure.” 
 
 EXCLUSIVE: Ted Nugent Accepts Responsibility; Says Tone Down Rhetoric https://t.co/c127FlCNGY via @audioBoom — Curtis Sliwa (@curtiswabc) June 15, 2017 
 
 Listen to Nugent’s full interview above.
– You know things are tense when Ted Nugent says it's time to tone it down. The rocker—who once described former President Obama as a "subhuman mongrel" and said he should "suck on his machine gun"—says he has decided to give up using "hateful rhetoric" after the Alexandria shooting, reports Mediaite. "At the tender age of 69, my wife has convinced me that I just can't use those harsh terms," Nugent told WABC Radio's Curtis & Eboni show on Thursday. "I will avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence," said Nugent, who was questioned by the Secret Service in 2012 after saying he would be "dead or in jail" if Obama was re-elected. "I encourage even my friends-slash-enemies on the left in the Democrat and liberal world that we have got to be civil to each other," said Nugent, promising to "take a deep breath" and "back it down" if things become "hateful." Nugent, whose long history of inflammatory remarks includes a call for Hillary Clinton to be hanged for treason, said the comments were part of the "over-the-top animal spirit and attitude" that he lives on stage, Entertainment Weekly reports. "I can be fiery, I can be passionate," he said. "But I will avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence." (Earlier this month, Nugent rejected a comparison to Kathy Griffin.)