Zumbo: Gun rag writer trashes "Assault Weapons"

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Jim Zumbo, third times a charm

Thank you all for letting me speak. Yes, I know the 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting and hunting guns, and yes, I promise you I am now dedicated to educate all shooters that we must all stick together regardless of our gun choices, and also tolerate the firearms others may choose to use if they are dissimilar to ours. I will do everything I can, within my power as a journalist and public speaker, to protect the 2nd Amendment and America's gun owners.

Good enough for me, and he's getting a free class with Pat Rogers.
 
Ted Nugent's Zumbo thread

Jim Zumbo had another opportunity to right himself. He had a perfect platform from which to do it. Nugent's board is a mixture of hunters and second amendment purists.

In forty pages of posts, Zumbo posted four times. The first post was long and self serving. He said he was sorry. I believe he is sorry...sorry for causing a firestorm and sorry for losing his job. His other posts were short and defensive.

All Nugent's bloggers wanted, was to hear was Zumbo saying, "It ain't about hunting and it ain't about legitimate sporting purposes..."

They wanted to hear him admit that he was completely wrong in substance. That is something he has not done.

He has had two opportunities (one of GunTalk, and now on Nugent's Blog) and he has squandered both.

Mr. Zumbo, I hope you find peace in retirement.

Ted, thanks for trying.
 
Consider where Zumbo's coming from.

He's a very rich man, a celebrity who gets loads of equipment, goodies and hunting tours for free. I'm sure wherever he lives is very safe with lots of security and police patrols. The thought that he might one day have to fight for his life with a criminal has probably never occurred to him. Nor has the fact that the government might one day declare his guns and hobbies illegal. Even if bolt-action rifles and hunting are hit with massive restrictions, I'm sure a guy as influential as Zumbo could keep on shooting ducks and deer after putting in a few words with friends in high places.

The Second Amendment exists to protect citizens from government, so it may not mean much to a guy who thinks the system will always be on his side.
 
ProficientRifleman ~

This has been posted in this thread already, but I'm posting it again because it directly contradicts what you said. This is from the Zumbo thread at Nuge's board, http://nugeboard.tednugent.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/287127.html

Thank you all for letting me speak. Yes, I know the 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting and hunting guns, and yes, I promise you I am now dedicated to educate all shooters that we must all stick together regardless of our gun choices, and also tolerate the firearms others may choose to use if they are dissimilar to ours. I will do everything I can, within my power as a journalist and public speaker, to protect the 2nd Amendment and America's gun owners.

That is what I would call a darn good start, even if it does come a half-week too late.

In other news, Zumbo is signed up to take a carbine class with Pat Rogers, and will be writing about the class for SWAT magazine. If you follow the link to the thread above, you can read Editor Denny Hansen's invitation and Zumbo's acceptance (and hso, don't think you've gone unnoticed! :D) of that invitation.

Denny Hansen discussed making that decision in the SWAT forum on TFL, for the backstory there.

pax
 
ProficientRifleman said:
Jim Zumbo had another opportunity to right himself. He had a perfect platform from which to do it. Nugent's board is a mixture of hunters and second amendment purists.

In forty pages of posts, Zumbo posted four times. The first post was long and self serving. He said he was sorry. I believe he is sorry...sorry for causing a firestorm and sorry for losing his job. His other posts were short and defensive.

All Nugent's bloggers wanted, was to hear was Zumbo saying, "It ain't about hunting and it ain't about legitimate sporting purposes..."

They wanted to hear him admit that he was completely wrong in substance. That is something he has not done.

He has had two opportunities (one of GunTalk, and now on Nugent's Blog) and he has squandered both.

Mr. Zumbo, I hope you find peace in retirement.

Ted, thanks for trying.


Make that three opportunities. If his apologies were sincere and not just damage control and spin doctoring he’d have apologized on his own website, jimzumbo.com .

As for Ted Nugent, here’s his take on anyone who doesn’t buy Zumbo’s apologies and (sorta) mea culpas:
“anyone who so foolishly is ignoring the clear & obvious apology & upgrade here, plz dont bother posting. go to some hippie turd chewing bubba drunkass website & grovel there plz. here we demand upgrade. whattaconcept. Jeff, Ward, Mike, zap all *******s the hell out of my campfire plz. no punks allowed.”
 
Thank you all for letting me speak. Yes, I know the 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting and hunting guns, and yes, I promise you I am now dedicated to educate all shooters that we must all stick together regardless of our gun choices, and also tolerate the firearms others may choose to use if they are dissimilar to ours. I will do everything I can, within my power as a journalist and public speaker, to protect the 2nd Amendment and America's gun owners.

So now he's going to "tolerate the firearms others may choose to use if they are dissimilar to ours". Who is this "ours" he talking about?

Where are the words "I'm sorry"? What about the terrorist remarks?

Just go away Zumbo....
 
Are there exceptions, yes! Are they common, no!
The President of the Florida Sportsmans Association is Marion Hammer. Former President of the NRA. Since leaving her spot at the NRA rarely is she seen defending the group I would call Gun Owners. Never have I seen anything that her group has sent to out Federal Legislators. HR 1022, total silence.
So my experience on this world of 61 years tells me to generally distrust "Sportsman" as supporters of the 2A.
Sorry if you don't agree. But, you are entitled.

I'm done. No more comments from me. Have a great day,

I'll admit that I know little about Florida sportsmen's groups, so all I can say is that's too bad. I guess my experience is the exact opposite, in that most of the sportsmen's groups I have been involved with have supported gun issues that had absolutely nothing to do with "sports."

2400, I am curious as to why he used "ours," too.
 
For SteveS and 2400.

Zumbo used "ours" because the sentence required it.

"... we must all stick together regardless of our gun choices, and also tolerate the firearms others may choose to use if they are dissimilar to ours."

The sentence means we (each individual gun owner) must tolerate the firearms others (all gun owners) may choose to use, even if they (other gun owners' guns) are dissimilar to ours (our guns, the guns belonging to each individual gun owner).

Dunno what you could find to be offended at in that particular sentence, unless it might be the word "tolerate" -- which, incidentally, he later upgraded to read "respect."

pax
 
Fair enough. That's what happens when I don't take the time to comprehend what I am reading. My initial thought was that he was trying to suggest that hunters did not have AR's. I am glad he is trying to make things right.
 
I promise you I am now dedicated to educate all shooters that we must all stick together regardless of our gun choices, and also tolerate the firearms others may choose to use if they are dissimilar to ours.

Oh, nevermind. Pax already explained it.

I wasn't happy with his other statements, either, but this sentence at least is on the up-and-up, and on our side of the gun debate. And by "our" I mean we who believe in the right to keep and bear scary guns.
 
which, incidentally, he later upgraded to read "respect."

He changed it at the suggestion of another poster. he didn't think that one up himself.

He has had several attempts at hitting the ball out of the park and has missed it every time. Every time he tries to "apologize" he just swings and misses.

I think Zumbo just needs to take his retirement option and fade quietly in obscurity.

bob
 
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Dave Petzal speaks up for Zumbo

"In case you just emerged from a coma and have not heard, the shooting world is agog over a blog posted by Jim Zumbo, former contributing editor at Outdoor Life, over the weekend of February 17. In it, Jim stated that any semiauto rifle with an AR or AK prefix was a terrorist rifle, had no place in hunting, and should be outlawed for that purpose. Then, courtesy of the Internet and all its blogs and chatrooms, the roof fell in.

The speed with which Zumbomania spread, the number of comments it drew, and the rabid nature of same were a revelation. Overnight, this thing became as big as Janet Jackson’s clothing failure or—dare I say it?—Britney Spears’ shaved head. Jim Zumbo is now as employable as the Unabomber, and Sarah Brady will no doubt adopt his comments to her own gun-control purposes.

For the last several days I’ve been visiting all manner of blogs and chatrooms, which has reminded me of when I used to deliver used clothing to the local mental hospital. I’ve tried to make some sense of it all, but because the waters are still full of blood and body parts continue to rain from the sky, I haven’t come up with any Great Truths. Lacking that, here are some Lesser Truths.

What Jim said was ill-considered. He’s entitled to his beliefs, but when a writer of his stature comes out against black guns, it sure as hell does not help our cause.

Even so, Jim made an immediate apology. He did not equivocate, or qualify, or make excuses. He acted like a gentleman and said he was wrong, and he was sorry. Apparently this is not enough anymore. We now live in the era of one strike and you're out.

For 40 years, Jim has been a spokesman and ambassador of good will for hunting. Through his tireless efforts as a teacher and lecturer on hunting and hunting skills, he has done more for the sport than any 250 of the yahoos who called for his blood.

Jim has paid dearly for what he said. He has lost his blog and his association with Remington. Cabela’s has suspended its sponsorship of his TV show; and Outdoor Life has accepted his offer to sever ties. To all the chatroom heroes who made him unemployable, I have a word of warning: You’ve been swinging a two-edged sword. A United States in which someone can be ruined for voicing an unpopular opinion is a dangerous place. Today it was Jim’s turn. Tomorrow it may be yours.

If Sarah Brady is smart—and she is very smart—she will comb through the same blogs and chatrooms I’ve been reading, excerpt some of the most vicious and foul-mouthed entries, print them up, and distribute them to Congress. Then it will be interesting to see how the men and women who wrote that stuff enjoy seeing their efforts being put to use by every anti-gunner in America.

Stay tuned. "

This may have already been posted here. I canceled my subscription back in the 90s when he was supporting the AWB. I also just emailed Field and Stream and politely asked them to fire Petzal. Ironically the name of his blog is "The Gun Nut". I just don't like his comments about the "yahoos who called for his blood" or "A United States in which someone can be ruined for voicing an unpopular opinion is a dangerous place". I think he is another one who just doesn't get it.
 
It's basic reading skills, folks. He's saying that every shooter must tolerate the firearms others (people other than oneself) may choose to use if they are dissimilar to yours.

Thanks ;) Pax already gave the English lesson for today. I blame it on a long day...of hunting, or something.
 
The main thing is to convince the Fudds that "semiautomatic weapons of mass destruction military style rambo killing machines" bear a strong resemblance to a "Highly accurate telescopically sighted long range sniper assassin weapons" and that killing Bambi is an atavistic "blood sport" practiced by men with small penises to acquire validation of their failing manhood.

We're all in this together.

Who's on some hunting boards?

The funny thing is, on a couple of the hunting boards that I frequent, they already didn't like Zumbo. It seems he's just as quick to attack those who hunt with different techniques than he (e.g. ethical long range hunting, varmint hunting).

One point which was lost in the shuffle, is that hunters potentially have more to lose than 2A defenders... hunting has no amendment protecting it. If the public -- or sheeple if you prefer -- decide that hunters are too scary or irresponsible looking, they can relatively easily ban hunting. Not that it excuses Zumbo or Petzal in any way, but I can see a sort of paranoid defense versus anything that might threaten hunting.
 
I'm sure wherever he lives is very safe with lots of security and police patrols.

I've seen where he lives, and it's a remote area on a mountain side between Yellowstone and Cody in Wyoming. Police patrols and security are non-existent in the area. On the other hand, probably the only thing that may pose a physical threat to him would be an occasional bear.
 
Guns and Labs ~

More territory to protect. Not necessarily more to lose.

pax
 
I'm not surprised

It took him three shots to get out the kind of apology we / his critics have been waiting for.

This man is in his sixties, and attitudinal changes don't come easy at that age. (I speak as one creeping up on Zumbo's age, but with a different mindset.) There is no doubt to me that his original comments, and the construction of his apologies one and two, were representative of his genuine feelings. That fact, BTW, is also indicative of a person with integrity, no matter how faulty those basic suppositions are...and, I suspect, as the supposed authority he is, he's kept to his in-group of hunters and has not been challenged by the experiences of others.

This third apology--already well deconstructed by others here, indicates he does understand the issue. Whether or not it represents attitudinal change is a whole 'nother topic.

It'll be interesting to see what the articles / reports he writes about his new EBR experiences. Those articles and his new attitudes need to be used to influence his peer group.
 
"
The quarry of choice (deer, elk, moose, whatever) has no chance of outrunning a long burst from assault weapons, and also it would ruin the meat to put that much lead into it! "

I hope the moron who posted this on the F & S is just a bradyite visiting. I hope that a real hunter would not believe this crap. :banghead: I mean anyone who is a hunter SHOULD know better than this. It is just amazing to me.

Just a note to anyone reading this who believes the quote above, I will try to explain it to you. What these folks are calling "assault rifles" are not full autos, they are not machine guns, they are semi auto, and most states require them to have limited capacity magazines while they are being hunted with or they cannot be hunted with anyway. There is not "burst" of bullets, you must squeeze the trigger each time you want a bullet to travel down the barrell. That is why they are called "Semi Auto" There is no magic spray of bullets being hosed down range, and last time I checked a 308 round out of an AR platform has performance characteristics very similar to those from any other 308. In fact they typically lose a small amount of power as compared to being fired from a bolt action rifle. I know anyone can post of the internet, but before you rant on something it is usually wise to find out what you are talking about.
 
Guns and Labs ~

More territory to protect. Not necessarily more to lose.

pax
Good point. But I know quite a few hunters who see loss of hunting right up there with the loss of a constitutional right... maybe even higher, if the preamble language, "pursuit of happiness" can be considered "higher."
 
This man is in his sixties, and attitudinal changes don't come easy at that age. (I speak as one creeping up on Zumbo's age, but with a different mindset.) There is no doubt to me that his original comments, and the construction of his apologies one and two, were representative of his genuine feelings. That fact, BTW, is also indicative of a person with integrity, no matter how faulty those basic suppositions are...and, I suspect, as the supposed authority he is, he's kept to his in-group of hunters and has not been challenged by the experiences of others.

Good point. There's also another element; at 67, he's nearing the end of his career. He's made his money, he's done everything anyone in his profession could possibly do, and he doesn't really NEED to apologize to walk away from all of this and enjoy retirement.

The offer that Denny Hansen made is a good one and it will be interesting on several levels to see how Mr. Zumbo handles it.
 
So Zumbo gets a free tactical class and an opportunity to write again? This is BS. Color me : "boycotting Swat magazine". :barf: :barf: :barf:

TWBryan
 
So Zumbo gets a free tactical class and an opportunity to write again? This is BS. Color me : "boycotting Swat magazine".

Kind of reminds me of the film M*A*S*H.

"Colonel, fair's fair...if I punch Hawkeye and nail Hot-Lips, can I go home too?"
 
I for one am very happy to see zumbo's latest posts and nuge's work.

I wish everyone weren't pushing black rifles on the guy though. I mean, if he doesn't want to shoot them, don't make him. He doesn't have to shoot them or even understand them or why others like them. He only needs to support our right to own them. And clearly, it seems he's got that part figured out.

He may want to retire now anyways, but I hope he publishes a lot about this experience.
 
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