Ted Nugent toning down 'hateful rhetoric' after Scalise shooting

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Ted Nugent: We have got to be civil to each other

Rocker says the country has reached 'critical mass,' pledges to stop using 'harsh terms'

Ted Nugent is toning down his "hateful rhetoric" after a gunman opened fire at a GOP baseball practice Wednesday morning, critically wounding House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

"I'm not going to engage in that kind of hateful rhetoric anymore," Nugent said Thursday on the WABC radio show "Curtis & Eboni."

Eboni K. Williams also is a co-host of the "Fox News Specialists."

The outspoken rocker said he is re-evaluating his tough-guy approach after the shooting in Alexandria, Virginia.

"At the tender age of 69, my wife has convinced me that I just can't use those harsh terms," Nugent said. "I cannot and I will not."

The often-controversial guitarist is known for his wild and inflammatory statements, such as telling President Obama to “suck on my machine gun” and labeling him a "subhuman mongrel." Nugent also called Hillary Clinton a "worthless b---h" in 2007.

Nugent also said he is encouraging his "friends [and] enemies on the left in the Democrat and liberal world that we have got to be civil to each other, that the whole world is watching America, where you have the God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and we have got to be more respectful to the other side."

Nugent admitted to sometimes getting heated, especially while performing on stage. He also promised to "avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence" moving forward.

But he won't steer clear of politics all together saying he will still be "feisty" and "passionate."