Jim Zumbo's anti-gun blog

[Aim to maim]

Originally posted by Rocky Raab



They let Zumbo pour gasoline on the fire; they'll have to expect heat and ashes.

Very well said, Mr Raab.

This development of this whole issue is a fine example of what free speech is all about. The first amendment simply states that "...CONGRESS shall make no law..abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..."

So long as no LAWS are passed prohibiting Jim Zumbo from ranting (or prohibiting the rest of us from peaceably responding to his rants), freedom of speech remains intact.

[Tennessee Elkman]

I agree.... Perhaps this is or was the response they were hoping to receive. We might all be talking about canceling our subscriptions, but at least we're talking... CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG!?!?!?!?

[Rocky Raab]

It seems that we here at HuntChat can.

But some of the other hunting boards are melting down with internal spit fights over this. A small but vocal contingent seems to agree with Zumbo, the main complaint being about young "hoodie" types showing up at rifle ranges with ARs and AKs just to send as much ammo downrange as fast as possible - possibly even practicing up for mayhem.

A small number of shooters would wish that such guns were less available or at least less visible to the public - to better preserve the image of the rest of shooters.

A larger body says that such behavior is unfortunate, but if we ban or hide some guns, the rest will surely be banned as well.

The antis practice their divide and conquer tactics very well, indeed.

[Skinny Shooter]

I don't mind hearing or reading a sincere apology and then letting that person go with a "don't do that again" kind of thing. You know the type, the "I voted for it before I voted against it" kind. NOT!
But in this instance, his criticism of AR-style guns and others chaffs my butt more than the dry cold weather we've been having.
I'm tired of the worn out mis-labeling of these types of guns and their users.
His comments smack of the like of the Brady Campaign and other groups. He may retract his statements but I believe he still feels the same way as his blog states.

"I must be living in a vacuum. The guides on our hunt tell me that the use of AR and AK rifles have a rapidly growing following among hunters, especially prairie dog hunters. I had no clue."

Obviously...

"I call them "assault" rifles, which may upset some people. Excuse me, maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity. I'll go so far as to call them "terrorist" rifles."

He had that right, it upsets me. I guess those beautiful black lines must scare him.
He shows a lack of education on this topic as he mis-labels any military-styled arm as an assault weapon. Someone in his position should know better after the fiasco of the assult weapon ban.

"This really has me concerned. As hunters, we don't need the image of walking around the woods carrying one of these weapons."

What image? Once again he demonizes a fellow group of shooters. Heck, an M1 Garand would make an excellent deer/bear rifle in the woods here in Pa

"To most of the public, an assault rifle is a terrifying thing. Let's divorce ourselves from them. I say game departments should ban them from the praries and woods."

And the best way to make the public understand, is thru proper education and portrayal of the firearm. Something the politicians, ant-gun lobby and COMPLICIT MEDIA have failed to do.

"Sorry, folks, in my humble opinion, these things have no place in hunting."

First, who in the hail do you think are you to spout something like that?

We don't need to be lumped into the group of people who terrorize the world with them, which is an obvious concern. I've always been comfortable with the statement that hunters don't use assault rifles."

That is a pretty ridiculous argument for him to try and validate his viewpoint with. Hope he feels comfortable with the loss of revenue because he attacked his "family" with dumbass comments. I've got to wonder if because he hasn't been on the web for a long time that he didn't realize how this would turn out.

I'm surprised he didn't mention how semi-shooters "spray the woods with gunfire" or how that deer died "in a hail of bullets.

[DogYeller]

Looks like Jim's gonna be looking for a job. I've heard that Outdoor Life has fired him, also.
Remington

Check out the comments below his apology.
http://outdoorlife.blogs.com/zumbo/2...wrong_big.html

[Gunslingergirl]

Apparently, Remington has severed their relationship with him. I haven't seen anything that says that Outdoor Life has. His blog is still listed on their site.

GSG

[Skinny Shooter]

Here's something from the Brady campaign: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...1-304a7318e1a4

Its great Remmy dropped him. Now maybe they can divert those funds to reasearch on how to keep their bolt handles from falling off...

[Skinny Shooter]

Outdoor Life has shut down Zumbo's blog now due to the overwhelming response.
Now Bill McRae is supporting Zumbo.

[fabsroman]

This whole thing reminds me of the Leatherman fiasco during the last Presidential election. The owner of the company, I forget his name, took a stance in favor of Kerry and let it be known to everybody. I wrote him an e-mail before the election telling him that I would never buy another one of his products and that I was willing to bet that most of the users of his products were conservative minded. He wrote me a response stating that he was entirely willing to take the consequences of his actions and he also thought that the majority using his products were liberal. A couple months after the election, he sent out a mass e-mail apologizing for his previous position, and stating that while he took that position we should not make the employees of his company suffer as a result. Yeah right. If he doesn't want the employees of the company to suffer, he can make sure that they get paid before he does. What a crock. I saw a nice Leatherman set the other day at Wal-Mart, but refused to buy it even though it was a little bit cheaper and nicer than the Gerber they had. Mind you, I am not throwing out the leatherman multi tool that a friend gave me for participating in his wedding, but I will never say anything positive about them and I will never spend my money on one. Even steered my brother in-law away from them when he was looking for a multi-tool.

Just as people have the freedom of speech, people also have the freedom to spend their money how they like, and for me, that is not on Leatherman and it certainly is not on OL.

I am dying to buy an AR-15 and an AR-10, and might just have the money for them after this tax season. Maryland almost passed a law banning them last year, and now I have this idiot writing stuff like this. Personally, I would take an AR-10 deer hunting around here because they are almost as think as varmints. It is not unusual to see 10 to 15 at a time, and we are allowed to kill every single one of them if they do not have antlers. So why not use an AR-10?

I also understand the entire "punk" shooter issue because that is about the equivalent of one of my brothers. He has the Bushmaster AR-15, the Desert Eagle 50, several other handguns, and a Benelli SBE. I took him, a law enforcement friend of ours, and my dog to a farm to practice shooting. We got to the farm and before I knew what was going on, the two of them had taken out their Glocks and proceeded to fire them as quickly as possible. My dog jumped into the car through the open window. Thank God the window was open. I am sure the farm owner didn't like that either. However, if I have to put up with that once in a while to get people interested in shooting, so be it. We have even talked about entering 3 gun tournaments, but I just haven't had the time. Now, if I could only get him to join the NRA.

[Gunslingergirl]

What gets me about this whole thing is his excuse for why he wrote the original post. Basically it was "I was tired and I didn't think."

I write a blog for GSI and I never write a post that I haven't given a great deal of thought too before it is posted. In my opinion it is terribly irresponsible and an insult to your readers to post something off the top of your head.

Also, it seemed to strain credibility a bit that this guy has been an NRA member for 40 years and he didn't know that people used assault rilfes to hunt and that such use was controversial. I've only been closely involved with the hunting community for about a year and I know that.

What is really sad is that his thoughtless comments will effect more than just him. What about all the people who might lose their paychecks if his television show goes off the air?

GSG

[fabsroman]

People have responsibilties in life, and what they do will ultimately hurt a lot of people. Mr. Zumba probably has a wife and kids, and they will suffer as a result of this too, along with the employees of the show, and OL. However, so will the shooting community due to his stupidity. Should we worry about all the people that will be hurt by the cancelling of his show? I say no!!!!!!!!!!

Kind of like worrying about who will be hurt if you decide to sue a doctor for amputating the wrong leg. Yeah, his wife and children might be hurt and the hospital might be hurt, but you lost a leg.

I am going to be so pissed if this comment comes up in Maryland's General Assembly if the same "assault weapons" ban is proposed this year as was last year. It will just force me to buy both guns this year, and possibly a 50 BMG rifle too.

Speaking of stupidity, how about Tim Hardaway the basketball player saying that he "Hates gay people." He is back pedaling from that comment as quick as possible and saying that he was tired when he made it. Seems as though both he and Mr. Zumbo use the same PR firm or being tired is an excuse for stupidity.

[Andy L]

I sent Cabelas an email and got this reply....


Thank you for your comments. While Cabela’s believes everyone has the right to express their own opinions, we strongly disagree with Jim Zumbo’s February 16 posting on his Hunting with Jim Zumbo blog on Outdoor Life’s Web site.

Throughout our 46-year history, Cabela’s has firmly supported all aspects of shooting sports. We strongly support the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and the right of every U.S. citizen to purchase, own and enjoy any legal firearm of their choosing.

While we fully support Mr. Zumbo’s First Amendment right of free speech, we believe his opinions on this matter are counter to those shared by Cabela’s and many of our customers. Cabela’s Legal Department is currently reviewing contractual obligations and commitments regarding our sponsorship of the Jim Zumbo Outdoors television show.

Have a great day.


Sounds like they may be trying to do the right thing.

[gd357]

My response from Gerber:

Following Jim Zumbo's recent comments, those of us at Gerber would like to clarify that we respect the opinion of our sponsored hunters and users however, we do not necessarily agree with all their opinions, nor do we endorse their public statements. Our presence and development in the tactical and hunting markets is proof-positive we are committed to supporting these industries and all those involved. Since Jim's blog was published he has issued this apology:
http://outdoorlife.blogs.com/zumbo/2...rong_big.html.

Thanks for supporting our rights and for supporting Gerber Legendary Blades.


Sounds like they are ignoring the issue. I'll ignore them.

A bigger issue is that his retraction didn't say anything about the "terrorists" he labeled in the initial statement. Hmmm...

gd

[Dan Morris]

Well, this dude isn't going to attend any of his seminars!Usually, the term 'eat themselves' pertains to politicians!
Dan

[BILLY D.]

Fabs

Your response above mirrors my feelings about the EBAY, Paypal issue.

I vote with my pocketbook also. Also it was not my intention to crap in anybodys mess kit when I said what I did about those two organizations. I am just an extremely loyal persaon when it comes to firearms and legislation that affects them. I am a hard headed German to the Max. I am very firm in my beliefs.

Best wishes, Bill