Ted Nugent promotes 'Knife Rights' with gun giveaway just days after mass stabbing

Just days after a student at the Houston-based Lone Star College went on a stabbing spree that left 14 people injured, Texas resident and Detroit-born rocker Ted Nugent is featured in a promotional contest for a group called "Knife Rights," billed by the president of the National Rifle Association as the nation's "second line of defense" against legislative proposals to restrict firearms access.

The contest features a Wilson Combat 10mm handgun, engraved with Nugent's autograph and signature "spearchucker" logo, given away to a randomly selected grand prize winner. The gun will come with a 4-inch folding knife and tactical folder, also autographed by Nugent.

The Knife Rights website features quotes about the importance of knives by Nugent and other conservative figures, like R. Lee Ermey, NRA President Wayne LaPierre and MSNBC conservative pundit S.E. Cupp.

"I joined Knife Rights to support the great job they are doing; you should too!" Nugent said in Knife Rights' promotional copy. "God Bless Knife Rights! I got mine, now you could win the only other one of these pistols ever! Support Knife Rights today!"

Speaking to Raw Story on Thursday, Knife Rights chairman Doug Ritter, who designs and sells knives for a living, insisted the promotional was not timed to launch in response to the mass stabbing in Houston, calling it an unfortunate coincidence.

"The start date on this thing, it started quite a bit before," he said. "You don't have a firearm built by Wilson Combat overnight. This has been in the works about six months... It has nothing to do at all with the incident in Houston. Ted Nugent has been a longtime supporter of Knife Rights and this was just this year's support effort on his part."

A single suspect has been identified in the mass stabbing at Lone Star College: 20-year-old Dylan Quick, a longtime student at the campus who was born deaf and wears a cochlear implant to hear.

Ritter called the incident "a terrible tragedy" executed by "someone who snapped." He also pointed out that the knife used was either an exacto knife or a surgical scalpel, "either of which are available at the university for use by students in student projects."

The rampage is said to have ended when Quick's short blade broke, giving students a chance to tackle him. Police claimed the young man later told them he fantasized about stabbing people for most of his life and planned his attack carefully. No firearms were found, and none of the victims in the attack died, although several were in critical condition immediately afterward.

"This poor individual cracked, apparently had psychological problems for some time that people were unaware of and it's a terrible tragedy and very unfortunate," Ritter concluded. "We're all very glad there were no... that the injuries were no more serious and [hope] that this gentleman gets the help that he needs."

It was the second serious multiple-casualty incident on the Lone Star College campus this year. Three people were shot there on January 22, and a 22-year-old man was subsequently arrested and charged.