Pat Benatar says she won't perform 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' song out of deference to the victims of mass shootings

Musician Pat Benatar said she refuses to perform her hit song "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" out of deference to the victims of mass shootings.

Benatar made the admission in an interview with USA Today while discussing why she chooses to cover other songs during her latest tour.

"And we’re not doing 'Hit Me with Your Best Shot,' and fans are having a heart attack. And I’m like, 'I’m sorry, in deference to the victims of the families of these mass shootings, I’m not singing it,'" said Benatar.

"I tell them, 'If you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it.' (The title) is tongue-in-cheek, but you have to draw the line. I can’t say those words out loud with a smile on my face, I just can’t," she added.

"I’m not going to go on stage and soapbox – I go to my legislators – but that’s my small contribution to protesting," she continued. "I’m not going to sing it. Tough."

She also weighed in on her worries regarding the Supreme Court overturning the Roe vs. Wade abortion decision.

"I’m worried, like all of us, about fundamental autonomy rights. This is a slippery slope," she concluded. "It’s not about abortion for me. I’m concerned that people are not paying attention to what this actually means."

Benatar previously penned a feminist anthem in order to protest the election of former President Donald Trump.

The Rolling Stones made a similar decision when they stopped playing their very popular song, "Brown Sugar." The song is intended to document the horrors of the slave trade, but the tone of the lyrics is too celebratory.

Benatar is featured in the docuseries "Women Who Rock" by Epix, airing at the end of July. She is also going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year.