Jim Zumbo apology 4 criticism of "assault rifles."
This deserves a thread of it's own!!!
quote:Originally posted by Jeff Christensen:
http://www.codyenterprise.com/articles/2007/02/28/news/news3.txt
Outdoor writer apologetic for online criticism of assault rifles
By Jim Zumbo
My recent blog on the Outdoor Life Web site was written with the interest of the hunter's image in mind.
In it my use of some words inflamed America's gun community to the point where, in less than 24 hours, they were able to mount enough pressure to cause my TV sponsors to withdraw from my show. Outdoor Life magazine, under similar demands, asked for my resignation, which I reluctantly gave. I had worked for the magazine full time for almost 30 years.
Despite this, I hold no grudge against America's gun lobby. I have publicly apologized and stated, "I was wrong - big time." Although I have always been active in advocating hunting rights, I've never thought of myself as a spokesman for gun rights.
It was an inevitable outcome. Remember that throughout major firearms incidents, such as the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Bobby Kennedy, the more recent Columbine school shootings in Colorado, and the sniper shootings in the D.C. area, there have been flurries of bills to outlaw guns. Those of us who hunt and shoot, or simply own firearms for protection, could have been severely impacted by those bills had they come to pass.
As an example, there have been bills written to do away with "sniper" rifles and "semi-automatic" firearms. To those of us who hunt, that "sniper" rifle could include our Winchester bolt-action elk rifle, or our Browning or Remington shotguns or .22s. The bottom line is that to hunt with a firearm, we must be afforded the legal right to own one.
The Second Amendment, which guarantees us the right to keep and bear arms, has nothing to do with hunting, but everything to do with gun ownership. During the ensuing controversy surrounding my blog, some people have taken me to task for abandoning the Second Amendment. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If I ever, in my wildest dreams, thought the words I had written would bring the validity of the Second Amendment into question, I assure you I never would have touched my fingers to the keypad.
After more than 50 years of hunting, I've grown to favor certain types of firearms that best suit my style of hunting. While comfortable in my niche, which exclusively involves traditional bolt-action type rifles, I was genuinely unaware of the growing popularity of the AR-15 types of firearms, and in fact, had seen only one in a hunting camp years ago.
Since posting my infamous blog Feb. 16, which subsequently has been removed, I've been exposed to a large and passionate number of shooters who enjoy using these types of guns on the range, as well as some who use them for hunting, especially varmints.
I also have received vast support from many who understood and agreed with my original intent. I realize now that the former image I conjured was largely an impression based on prejudice and misunderstandings. Your support is appreciated and I do not wish to alienate those of you who offered it, but hope that you will consider a broader more tolerant viewpoint as I have.
As a journalist, I intend to educate myself as to the entire question of these firearms. In addition I will continue to support and protect the Second Amendment. I'm now involved in an educational process to gather the facts and see for myself.
I'm writing this from Ted Nugent's ranch in Texas, where I'll work with Ted and some law enforcement people to become acquainted with these firearms.
I sincerely thank all of you who have encouraged me in these trying times that have catapulted my name in the national media arena, much of it in a most unfavorable way.
It hasn't been easy for my wife and I, but our friends, fellow sportsmen and women, and even strangers have offered many prayers and much hope that help us through each day.
This is so Good!!!
It IS getting out there. Progress is being achieved in a direction and mission that would not exist today if Mr. Zumbo hadn't made his human blunder. Uncle Ted has had the foresight to see the silver lining in this cloud of grey controversy and negativity. He has run with it and given us all a piece of the pie, it is up to us, whether we will have our cake and eat it too, or just eat our piece of the pie. We need to all tow this line and carry it onwards and upwards as those of us on this righteous path are trying to do!!!
Congratulations Mr. Zumbo and Mr. Nugent and thank you for putting in these fine efforts and pioneering the path to glory which we all need to travel to achieve our related community and societal goals. I for one am with ya... Good on ya!!!
quote:Originally posted by Jeff Christensen:
http://www.codyenterprise.com/articles/2007/02/28/news/news3.txt
Outdoor writer apologetic for online criticism of assault rifles
By Jim Zumbo
My recent blog on the Outdoor Life Web site was written with the interest of the hunter's image in mind.
In it my use of some words inflamed America's gun community to the point where, in less than 24 hours, they were able to mount enough pressure to cause my TV sponsors to withdraw from my show. Outdoor Life magazine, under similar demands, asked for my resignation, which I reluctantly gave. I had worked for the magazine full time for almost 30 years.
Despite this, I hold no grudge against America's gun lobby. I have publicly apologized and stated, "I was wrong - big time." Although I have always been active in advocating hunting rights, I've never thought of myself as a spokesman for gun rights.
It was an inevitable outcome. Remember that throughout major firearms incidents, such as the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Bobby Kennedy, the more recent Columbine school shootings in Colorado, and the sniper shootings in the D.C. area, there have been flurries of bills to outlaw guns. Those of us who hunt and shoot, or simply own firearms for protection, could have been severely impacted by those bills had they come to pass.
As an example, there have been bills written to do away with "sniper" rifles and "semi-automatic" firearms. To those of us who hunt, that "sniper" rifle could include our Winchester bolt-action elk rifle, or our Browning or Remington shotguns or .22s. The bottom line is that to hunt with a firearm, we must be afforded the legal right to own one.
The Second Amendment, which guarantees us the right to keep and bear arms, has nothing to do with hunting, but everything to do with gun ownership. During the ensuing controversy surrounding my blog, some people have taken me to task for abandoning the Second Amendment. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If I ever, in my wildest dreams, thought the words I had written would bring the validity of the Second Amendment into question, I assure you I never would have touched my fingers to the keypad.
After more than 50 years of hunting, I've grown to favor certain types of firearms that best suit my style of hunting. While comfortable in my niche, which exclusively involves traditional bolt-action type rifles, I was genuinely unaware of the growing popularity of the AR-15 types of firearms, and in fact, had seen only one in a hunting camp years ago.
Since posting my infamous blog Feb. 16, which subsequently has been removed, I've been exposed to a large and passionate number of shooters who enjoy using these types of guns on the range, as well as some who use them for hunting, especially varmints.
I also have received vast support from many who understood and agreed with my original intent. I realize now that the former image I conjured was largely an impression based on prejudice and misunderstandings. Your support is appreciated and I do not wish to alienate those of you who offered it, but hope that you will consider a broader more tolerant viewpoint as I have.
As a journalist, I intend to educate myself as to the entire question of these firearms. In addition I will continue to support and protect the Second Amendment. I'm now involved in an educational process to gather the facts and see for myself.
I'm writing this from Ted Nugent's ranch in Texas, where I'll work with Ted and some law enforcement people to become acquainted with these firearms.
I sincerely thank all of you who have encouraged me in these trying times that have catapulted my name in the national media arena, much of it in a most unfavorable way.
It hasn't been easy for my wife and I, but our friends, fellow sportsmen and women, and even strangers have offered many prayers and much hope that help us through each day.
This is so Good!!!
It IS getting out there. Progress is being achieved in a direction and mission that would not exist today if Mr. Zumbo hadn't made his human blunder. Uncle Ted has had the foresight to see the silver lining in this cloud of grey controversy and negativity. He has run with it and given us all a piece of the pie, it is up to us, whether we will have our cake and eat it too, or just eat our piece of the pie. We need to all tow this line and carry it onwards and upwards as those of us on this righteous path are trying to do!!!
Congratulations Mr. Zumbo and Mr. Nugent and thank you for putting in these fine efforts and pioneering the path to glory which we all need to travel to achieve our related community and societal goals. I for one am with ya... Good on ya!!!
0
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Mr. Nugent has befiled himself with a POS that sold us out to make $$$ for his print.
Mr. Zumbo deserves no pity from any believer in the right to self defense.0 -
Revisionist history as far as i'm concerned.
He said what he said and meant what he said in his original blog. Forgive and forget if you choose. For me, he is evolving his position to climb out of the whole he dug with his gun-ban views and alligator mouth.
No second chances from me. Mr. Zumbo has entered my "no tolerance zone".
You support Amendment II, or you don't. I do, period.0 -
we can't let em take our elk rifles[V]!
This guy still doesent get it0 -
Still no recognition of exactly what the Second Amendment is intended for.
All the twaddle about hunting..I don't give a snit about his hunting beliefs and his 30 years of advancing 'hunting rights'.
This is a telling blow to those that believe in freedom in America..
quote:I also have received vast support from many who understood and agreed with my original intent. I realize now that the former image I conjured was largely an impression based on prejudice and misunderstandings. Your support is appreciated and I do not wish to alienate those of you who offered it, but hope that you will consider a broader more tolerant viewpoint as I have.
These people are your enemies, if the Second Amendment means anything at all to you. More dangerous to your freedoms by far then an HONEST enemy, such as Shumer/Billery...
Week-kneed, compromising, government supporting destroyers of what remains of the Constitution..ever ready to bargin off a bit more Rights in return for a promised bit of security...0 -
I disagree that Mr Zumbo's apology is not sincere. The strongest advocates of 2nd amendement rights are those that have been re-educated. I applaud him for quickly stepping up to the plate, seeing his error, and correcting it. Once he "educates" himself on the vast array of weaponry that he is not familiar with, I think he will be a strong proponent of the 2nd amendement and a valuable ally in the struggle against the liberals.
What would he have to gain from back-stepping? He is near 70, doesn't need more money, has plenty of friends and isn't a politician. Those of you that are writing him off should reconsider.0 -
Too late! It's like apologizing for having sex with a man's daughter after you've already impregnated her. The damage is done and he should have been responsible enough to stop before he spoke, not after. 0 -
Yup.
D.0 -
Does anyone have a copy of the original blog? I'd like to read first hand what the twit wrote. 0 -
[:(!][:(!][:(!][V][V][V]
40 LONG YEARS OF NOT DOING ANYTHING POSITIVE FOR GUN OWNERS.
40 LONG YEARS OF SERVICE TO NO ONE EXCEPT HIS OWN INTERESTS.
40 LONG YEARS OF TYPICAL POLITICIAL BEHAVIOR.
Now that Zumbos -INCOME- has been cut off, he suddenly tells us that he has had a change of heart [?][?][?]
There are more -DESERVING- gun writers who can step up to the plate to bat for -all of us- while Zumbo weathers away in the justice that was served upon him by conservative America. No more pictures of him and John Kerry walking togeather.
Goodbye old Liberal Gun Hater.
Now get the Hell off of this band wagon Zumbo.
You've LOST Zumbo.
You've been exposed for who you really are.-[:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!]-0 -
There's no excuse for Zumbo to be living in a Mason jar (" I had no idea of the popularity of AR type rifles"). He passes himself off as an outdoor writer and therefore it's his job to STAY CURRENT just like it's my job to stay current as an RN. An "outdoor writer"
should be reading at least five gun publications/mo. and then he would have known about the great many manufacturers of ARs and accessories for same. Also, columns are for neat stories, how-to articles and new products, etc.-NOT FOR OPINIONS.
"Sweet clean air from east to west
and room to go and come.
I loved my fellow man the best
when he was scattered some".................0 -
I do execpt his apology, I'm probally not going to watch a show of him again if it ever airs, or read another article of his though. 0 -
this kind of reminds me of the d.chicks ,say what ya think and when it starts pulling on the old pocket book start crying Im sorry.
The man said what he said and if it had not cost him his job he would have never said im sorry.0 -
I wonder how you start to go about hunting for a living. Damnit I want that job!!!!!! I promise to have equal love for all guns created.
Tell Remington, Gerber, ect ect to sponsor me so I can hunt for a living.0 -
I, for one, will accept Zumbo's apology. Finally, after so long, he's saying the right things.
Zumbo has been confronted with the some of the strongest, most eloquent arguments our side has yet produced. I'm willing to believe that when confronted with this, perhaps he didn't like the answers he was coming up with. I admire a man that can admit he is wrong as opposed to denying the truth and refusing to change.
I choose to forgive but I'll never forget.0 -
It's nice to know that we have some clout in the friearms arena. Hopefully, more folks will join the NRA, especially the young bunch, for it is they who will protect the right to keep and bear arms tomorrow.
It's also good to know about Zumbo's change of heart. I have no doubt that his future will be much brighter in the near future with his apology being the catalyst. I also think that with him writing about the subject issue that a great many people will change their view as he has about assault type rifles, plus, gain a greater understanding of the true objective of the gun control effort which is to disarm responsible citizens.
Now, if we can get Governor Perry, Ted Nugent, and Zumbo rocking to Ted's Wang Dang Sweet Poon Tang on stage at the next republican convention...we might be on to something bigger yet!0 -
Love him or hate him, you have to admit that this episode with Zumbo has caused MANY to sit up and take notice. Is Zumbo the story here? Is his statement the story, his beliefs, his apology? NO, the real story here is, that the gun community stood up and took notice. The speed at which the story spread, the actions and reactions of people, is the real story. If only for a brief moment, one would think that the gun community actually cared. (If we could only get this kind of out-cry when draconian UNconstitutional laws are being introduced)
Will Zumbo's apology be accepted? By some NEVER, by others, willingly. Will I? Not at the present, only time will tell. At first, I thought "NO" he exposed his true feelings, when he uttered his life altering words. (which I do believe were his beliefs) But given time to think about this, I must consider that I have experienced a true 180 in a number of people that "I personally" have educated about the Constitution, our rights, and firearms. People that, when I first met them, were 100% anti-gun. Ban them all, was their motto. They simply DID NOT KNOW, but once educated, saw the light. (Zumbo SHOULD have known better)
I have read his apologies since he first started making them. I laughed, they were almost as bad as his original statement. He STILL DIDN'T GET IT. Have his apologies gotten any better? A bit, but he still has a long way to go. After all, you have to consider that he IS a writer, and is used to using "the written word" to manipulate a given story. Right now, he is writing what YOU want to hear.
Zumbo has lost it all. His job, his TV show, endorsements, etc. He can consider retiring, and has the means to do so. Will he continue to think it's "all about hunting" or will he TRULY be educated as to what it REALLY means, as he claims? Will he become an advocate for the 2nd amendment, a spokesman for the cause? He does have a lifetime of friends and contacts in places that could help our cause. Will he chooses to utilize them in a positive matter? Like I said, only time will tell.0 -
quote:Originally posted by gatorhide
[:(!][:(!][:(!][V][V][V]
40 LONG YEARS OF NOT DOING ANYTHING POSITIVE FOR GUN OWNERS.
40 LONG YEARS OF SERVICE TO NO ONE EXCEPT HIS OWN INTERESTS.
40 LONG YEARS OF TYPICAL POLITICIAL BEHAVIOR.
Now that Zumbos -INCOME- has been cut off, he suddenly tells us that he has had a change of heart [?][?][?]
There are more -DESERVING- gun writers who can step up to the plate to bat for -all of us- while Zumbo weathers away in the justice that was served upon him by conservative America. No more pictures of him and John Kerry walking togeather.
Goodbye old Liberal Gun Hater.
Now get the Hell off of this band wagon Zumbo.
You've LOST Zumbo.
You've been exposed for who you really are.-[:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!]-
X-ring0 -
I think some of you are being a bit harsh. The guy screwed up. He screwed up BIG TIME. He admitted his error and stated that it was from a lack of knowledge. He's written a retraction and he's taking responsibility for what he said. He's not blaming someone else for the ordeal (attempts to shift blame is a good rule of thumb for a false apology).
Cripes, haven't any of you ever said or written anything that you were sorry about later?
No, he didn't got into great detail that the 2nd is there to give us the power to fight a tyrannical government. But, he is still right. He stated that the 2nd isn't about hunting but is about our rights to OWN GUNS.
I doubt he's doing this for money. Somehow, I'm guessing the guy has enough to live quite comfortably for the rest of his life.
It takes a big man to admit he's wrong.
It also takes a big man to accept an apology.
It doesn't mean that you ask for the publishers to bring him back or ask for sponsors to come back to his program. It simply means that you say, "Okay, thanks for taking responsibility." and accepting his apology as what it appears to be -- genuine.0 -
I think we should accept his apology. I've heard a lot of other apologies that sound a whole lot less sincere! 0 -
quote:Originally posted by pickenup
Love him or hate him, you have to admit that this episode with Zumbo has caused MANY to sit up and take notice. Is Zumbo the story here? Is his statement the story, his beliefs, his apology? NO, the real story here is, that the gun community stood up and took notice. The speed at which the story spread, the actions and reactions of people, is the real story. If only for a brief moment, one would think that the gun community actually cared. (If we could only get this kind of out-cry when draconian UNconstitutional laws are being introduced)
Will Zumbo's apology be accepted?
from me not at this time, but then again maybe we should all thank him at the same time for this (gun community stood up and took notice.)
tazz0 -
quote:Originally posted by HighVolumeOfFire
I, for one, will accept Zumbo's apology. Finally, after so long, he's saying the right things.
Zumbo has been confronted with the some of the strongest, most eloquent arguments our side has yet produced. I'm willing to believe that when confronted with this, perhaps he didn't like the answers he was coming up with. I admire a man that can admit he is wrong as opposed to denying the truth and refusing to change.
I choose to forgive but I'll never forget.
I think you are right! He has made it clear that he was in error and that his focus was totally on hunting issues. I for one like what he says and think he will now jump on the bandwagon and help our cause.
He did not have to print that article. He could have kept chatting up his anti-military gun position and joined with the assualt gun ban folks. No....he choose to side with gun owners and make a serious attempt to understand the fascination that gun owers have with "Black Guns".
He is in a very strong postion to provide us with more help against the anti-crowd. Lets bury the hatchet and give him a second chance to redeam himself. I know you-all are very angry but give it some thought.
If he screws up again we will have him drawn and quartered!![:0]
Lets direct our anger against the big picture. NYC Mayor Blumberg, Schumer, McCarthy, Kennedy, Boxer, Latenberg, Fienstein and all the other rabid anti-gun crowd.0 -
Look. It doesn't matter to any of you whether I accept his apology or not. Nor does it matter to me, whether or not you do. That's a personal choice, just like his choice to put his thoughts in print.
If he wishes to make ammends, I suggest he devote some time and energy toward helping to defeat HR1022. A high profile guy, with his connections, can help raise awareness of the true intent of the 2nd and that could pay longer term benefits.0 -
...hey, we could send Jimbo on a hunting trip with Dick Cheny, and let Jimbo be the bird dog. FETCH!!!
Moose[:D][:D][:D][:D]0
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