On the whole, Texas is a pretty gun-friendly place, both in state laws and the collective viewpoint of the populace. If you’re a law-abiding, non felon and you want to own two different hunting riffles, a compound bow, a shotgun, a handgun and an antique pistol, chances are no one is going to hassle you or look down on you. That being said, there are still some places you can’t carry—like an airport. Unfortunately, Ted Nugent’s wife Shemane still tried to bring along a piece on Thursday, and she wound up in jail for her troubles.
According to Dallas News, the gun was discovered inside Mrs. Nugent’s carry-on bag while she was making her way through security at the Dallas Fort Worth airport. She has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, but obviously, that’s still not appropriate on an airplane. If her attorney is to be believed, she’s well aware of that too.
The fifty-one-year-old’s lawyer called the mix-up an honest mistake and said his client didn’t realize the gun was inside one of the pockets when she packed it. For most people, that excuse would probably ring hallow, but considering how many weapons her husband Ted owns, it’s entirely possible he put the gun inside the bag and completely forgot about it.
Here’s a portion of her attorney David Finn’s official comment…
“She is very embarrassed. She’s never been in this situation before. She has expressed remorse for any inconvenience for any public safety officials.”
In a small airport, finding a gun might be a scandal big enough to be buzzed about for months, but inside Dallas Fort Worth, it’s basically par for the course. Fifty-seven guns have been found in carry-on bags already this year, which is enough to rank it second in the entire country behind only Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta. Technically, Nugent could be charged with a variety of crimes and given more than just a slap on the wrist for this gun incident, but considering she doesn’t have a criminal record and is a middle-mannered, middle aged woman, I highly doubt the district attorney’s office will give her much more than a stern warning, especially since these things happen more often than you think.
Shemane married Ted all the way back in 1989, and while she probably rolls her eyes on occasion at how outrageous he has a tendency to be, they seem to genuinely get along great. Hopefully, they’ve got another nearly twenty-five years of marital bliss in them and a whole lot fewer unnecessary scandals like this.
We’ll keep you updated on this case if the DA’s office decides to actually get aggressive. If you hear nothing more, assume she apologized, paid a fine and moved on with her life.
