I ask whether his opinion on guns would change if someone in his family were killed.

Not surprisingly, he says "No," calling guns a "wonderful tool" for self-defense, competition and sport.

Nugent is among the harshest critics of President Barack Obama ("not a hunting buddy"), Attorney General Eric Holder and any lawmaker who would restrict his or any citizen's access to guns.

He laughs off as naïve and ridiculous the notion that no one wants to take Americans' guns away.

He supports background checks for new guns and for licensed gun show dealers but rejects gun registration, gun licensing, private sale background checks and limiting access to any existing firearms, saying people who want to ban access to certain types of weapons know almost nothing about guns.

Though Nugent understands the nation's desire to stop another gun massacre, he says focusing on criminals and those with mental illnesses will have a bigger impact than trying to ban the more than 310 million guns or billions of high capacity magazines that currently exist in North America.

As for high capacity magazines, Nugent says limiting bullets is counter to the Second Amendment right to self-defense, "When I'm being assaulted at my home, I and I alone, by any consideration whatsoever, will determine how many bullets I need to protect my family."