Jim Zumbo Removes His Foot From His Mouth.

[ima45dv8]

I'm starting to think Dale has a good point. We should embrace Jim, and keep him close to us, if for no other reason than having him within arm's reach if he starts to do something stupid like this again.

[EricW]

I could forgive.....and maybe even forget....IF I thought the SOB actually mis-spoke. He didn't. He uttered his true feelings. Zumbo is part of the NRA that begat us the 1994 AWB. He is part of the Bill Ruger "No honest man needs more than 10 rounds" club. Maybe it makes me a small person, but I don't want forgiveness. I don't want to get along. I want zero tolerance. Either you're in or you're out. Being OK with "hunting guns" but wanting to ban AR's is like being half-pregnant.

The first blog entry made Zumbo an a_-hole. The apology rendered him a lying a_-hole. I derive no strength from lying assholes. What's the point of associating one's self with the totally untrustworthy? I don't see an ounce of gain.

Let's keel haul the bastard and maybe the rest of the celebrity panhandlers will learn to either toe the line or watch their careers spiral down the commode.

[/Rant Off]

Edited February 19, 2007 by EricW

[mcb]

Certainly Mr Zumbo's comments where erroneous and offensive to many in the hunting and shooting community. I will not defend him, but I do feel sorry for him and think his comment should and will have consequences. The said the vehement savagery of many of the individual's responses makes me wonder if the community's response as a whole to Mr Zumbo comments are going to do more damage than the original comments. What a sorry, ugly, little episode and no matter how it turns out I think it will hurt the hunting/shooting community.

[ihatepickles]

He chose such poor words. He's not the first person to speak out against high capacity rifles used for hunting. Most big game hunting laws have magazine restrictions after all. My point, is that his ideas aren't new or even novel. I disagree with the concept that we can regulate responsible hunting and gun ownership by restricting equipment - but I follow the laws of the country and do my part to change what I think is wrong.

He said that the AR-15 is a terrorist's rifle. Even if he had said "the AK-47 is a terrorist's rifle" he would've been wrong, but to declare that the rifle being carried into combat by our service men and women a terrorist's rifle is just plain wrong.

I disagree with his position and I think the words he chose shows his true color.

[SiG Lady]

This is what happens when people speak before they think! Zumbo-brains should've known his remarks would be incendiary. What was he thinking...?!?!?! Obviously not about consequences.

It is incumbent upon persons in such public positions to exercise skill and wisdom when airing their intimacies about controversial matters. It's called Wordsmithing (or Politics, whichever). It can be done. Obviously, he didn't. He'll pay for this one for a long time to come.

[Wakal]

Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Remington to Sever Sponsorship Ties with Jim Zumbo

Madison, North Carolina – As a result of comments made by Mr. Jim Zumbo in recent postings on his blog site, Remington Arms Company, Inc., has severed all sponsorship ties with Mr. Zumbo effective immediately. While Mr. Zumbo is entitled to his opinions and has the constitutional right to freely express those opinions, these comments are solely his, and do not reflect the views of Remington.

“Remington has spent tens of millions of dollars defending our Second Amendment rights to privately own and possess firearms and we will continue to vigorously fight to protect these rights,” commented Tommy Millner, Remington’s CEO and President. “As hunters and shooters of all interest levels, we should strive to utilize this unfortunate occurrence to unite as a whole in support of our Second Amendment rights.”

We regret having to terminate our long-standing relationship with Mr. Zumbo, who is a well-respected writer and life-long hunter.

http://www.remington.com/library/press/2007/2007-1.asp

Looks like Remington took the first pound of flesh. Now lets see who else does the right thing.

I'd rather have ten people I can trust than one hundred that I am not sure about.

I expect the NRA to back Zumbo, seeing as the NRA has long been a traitor to the plain wording of the Second Amendment by (very publicly) backing the 94 AWB, 68 GCA, and (of course) NFA. Which is why I refuse to upgrade to Benefactor, instead sending the money to GOA and JPFO.

Alex

Edited February 19, 2007 by Wakal

[EricW]

My response to Gerber:

Dear Jason,

Thank you for taking the time to reply. As long as Jim Zumbo or his cronies receive money from Gerber / Fiskars, I will never purchase another Gerbers / Fiskars product again and will publicly advocate that everyone I know follow suit. The issue is not free speech. The issue is Jim Zumbo using his bully pulpit to nullify my civil liberties.

I urge you to reconsider your course of action.

Best Regards,

Eric Wesselman

eric@ericwesselman.com

509.981.7558

----- Original Message -----

From: Sales

To: Eric Wesselman

Sent: Monday, February 19, 2007 11:51 AM

Subject: RE: Jim Zumbo

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/2007/02..._wrong_big.html.

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

Jason Kintzler

Senior Communications Manager

[bigbrowndog]

Only time and good deeds will ever return Mr. Zumbo some of the respect that he has so foolishly thrown away. I applaud Remington, for thier swift action and hope that the others will follow.

Much like a cheating spouse, can they ever be truly trusted again...................time will tell. They know what they did was wrong when they did it, they just regret, that the cat's out of the bag.

Trapr

[Wakal]

Eric, I received the same boilerplate from Gerber. My reply is below.

to Sales <Sales@gerbergear.com>

date Feb 19, 2007 10:13 PM

subject Re: Your Association with Jim Zumbo

mailed-by gmail.com

Jason,

Since Zumbo's anti-Second Amendment public meltdown and forced apology, Remington has decided to cut their sponsorship with him. Remington, obviously, understands that there are two sides to the battle and that Jim and Remington were on different sides...and they acted accordingly.

Your mealy-mouthed platitudes indicate that you are, with Jim, in the camp of the enemy.

As such, I will no longer carry Gerber products in my store, nor will I recommend any Gerber products to my compatriots in arms, as long as Gerber continues to support Zumbo. I regret that your actions have forced me to this position, as I have used many fine Gerber products both in and out of harm's way over the years and Gerber products had pride of place in my shop. However, SOG makes equally decent products, and I assume they will be happy to have the increased business.

Yours,

Alex

[L9X25]

Statement from Outdoor Life

Due to the controversy surrounding Jim Zumbo’s recent postings, Outdoor Life has decided to discontinue the “Hunting With Zumbo” blog for the time being. Outdoor Life has always been, and will always be, a steadfast supporter of our Second Amendment rights, which do not make distinctions based on the looks of the firearms we choose to own, shoot and take hunting. Please direct any comments you have to OLletters@time4.com.

[EricW]

Oh...and I just took time to call the NRA and explain why they won't be seeing my membership dues: 1-877-NRA-2000

They were very polite and noted the exact reason on my account.

[Flatland Shooter]

For those who took the time to express their views of Mr. Zumbo's comments to his many sponsors asking they withdraw their support, also take the time to commend those sponsors who understand where their customers, the shooting public stand and have therefore severed ties with Mr. Zumbo.

Remington Arms was quick to sever all sponsorships with Mr. Zumbo. And for that reason, I have e-mailed Remington Arms a message showing my support for their decision. I currently own several Remingtons and I'm sure I will own a few more before I give up the ghost.

So as Mr. Zumbo's supporters withdraw their support, we should remember to support the people that support our views and let them know where we stand. (Even if you didn't let his sponsors know your objections earlier, I suggest you still consider letting those whose actions are in our favor know you agree with their actions.)

After all the blasting they took in the past 24 hours, they could sure use a few kudos.

Bill

[zhunter]

For those who took the time to express their views of Mr. Zumbo's comments to his many sponsors asking they withdraw their support, also take the time to commend those sponsors who understand where their customers, the shooting public stand and have therefore severed ties with Mr. Zumbo.

Remington Arms was quick to sever all sponsorships with Mr. Zumbo. And for that reason, I have e-mailed Remington Arms a message showing my support for their decision. I currently own several Remingtons and I'm sure I will own a few more before I give up the ghost.

So as Mr. Zumbo's supporters withdraw their support, we should remember to support the people that support our views and let them know where we stand. (Even if you didn't let his sponsors know your objections earlier, I suggest you still consider letting those whose actions are in our favor know you agree with their actions.)

After all the blasting they took in the past 24 hours, they could sure use a few kudos.

Bill

Flatland

READ my post above that I sent to Remington, saying just what you said we should say above.

[EricW]

First off, a thank you note went out to Remmy milliseconds after I got notice that they had dumped Jimbo.

Second, I will be buying Remmy products and hauling them out to my truck via a handtruck just as soon as I can drive by the sporting goods store this week. I reward the right behavior.

Third, Cabelas is on the verge of dumping Jimmy off on the curb:

From: http://ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&...211&page=50

Dear Mr. XXXXXX,

Thanks 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.

Sincerely,

Brent

Edited February 20, 2007 by EricW

[DanM]

Oh...and I just took time to call the NRA and explain why they won't be seeing my membership dues: 1-877-NRA-2000

They were very polite and noted the exact reason on my account.

er, I need to be an NRA member in order to belong to the local range. Besides, I bet they distance themselves pretty fast from him.

[Flatland Shooter]

Eric,

Please keep us informed when Cabela's and other sponsors drop Zumbo. I want to make sure each and everyone of them gets a "thank you from a grateful customer"

Bill

[GeorgeInNePa]

Hi Mountain Seasonings

Check the bottom of the main page. Another sponsor leaves Zumbo.

[zhunter]

Outstanding

[Hoofy]

Hi Mountain Seasonings

Check the bottom of the main page. Another sponsor leaves Zumbo.

Thanks for the update George.

My wife had to suffer my rant Sunday morning when I discarded the Hi Mountain Jerky Seasoning package from the pantry. I have just received my invoice to replace that package along with 6 more of their stuff to try. Part of me is upset for the tyraid I displayed, but the other part of me is glad I could make right with the company.

It worked out really well that Bass Pro Shop had a sale on ammo this weekend.

I bought a few cases of Remington 223 ammo to shoot out of my terrorist guns.

Take that Jim

[Carlos]

I could forgive.....and maybe even forget....IF I thought the SOB actually mis-spoke. He didn't. He uttered his true feelings. Zumbo is part of the NRA that begat us the 1994 AWB. He is part of the Bill Ruger "No honest man needs more than 10 rounds" club. Maybe it makes me a small person, but I don't want forgiveness. I don't want to get along. I want zero tolerance. Either you're in or you're out. Being OK with "hunting guns" but wanting to ban AR's is like being half-pregnant.

The first blog entry made Zumbo an a_-hole. The apology rendered him a lying a_-hole. I derive no strength from lying assholes. What's the point of associating one's self with the totally untrustworthy? I don't see an ounce of gain.

Let's keel haul the bastard and maybe the rest of the celebrity panhandlers will learn to either toe the line or watch their careers spiral down the commode.

[/Rant Off]

I agree with you.

The difficulty I see for our collective future is this: there are so many other gun-owners out there who think the same way as Zumbo. I have been a member of enough gun clubs to have seen this in person so many times.

Since gun owners in general are a shrinking minority, we unfortunately NEED those folks on our side if we want to keep our rights intact.

I think a massive education effort WITHIN the gun owning community is in order. How do we teach the Zumbos of the world that any erosion of gun rights (restrictions on CCW, class III bans, .50 bans, hunting restrictions including age limits, AWB and handgun restrictions) harm us all even if we don't participate in that particular aspect of gun owning & shooting?

Also, how do we get the big lobbying groups like NRA to put more resources into the legislative fight & also hold their ground on EVERY front?

Regards,

C.

PS - a remington rifle purchase is in the cards for 2007. Gotta remember your friends.

[JFD]

I believe the education of the Zumbo's of the world is happening now in the only language they understand.

[Albert]

Any chance someone has copied Zumbo's original blog? I missed out on reading the original and it's no longer available on the original links provided. I like to read if for myself. I didn't realize there was this type of division within the shooting community.

[rmfield]

Any chance someone has copied Zumbo's original blog? I missed out on reading the original and it's no longer available on the original links provided. I like to read if for myself. I didn't realize there was this type of division within the shooting community.

Here's the original text:

Assault Rifles For Hunters?

As I write this, I'm hunting coyotes in southeastern Wyoming with Eddie Stevenson, PR Manager for Remington Arms, Greg Dennison, who is senior research engineer for Remington, and several writers. We're testing Remington's brand new .17 cal Spitfire bullet on coyotes.

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. Only once in my life have I ever seen anyone using one of these firearms.

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. They tell me that some companies are producing assault rifles that are "tackdrivers."

Sorry, folks, in my humble opinion, these things have no place in hunting. 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. We've always been proud of our "sporting firearms."

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

Edited February 20, 2007 by rmfield

[Shawn Knight]

From DPMS

Latest News

A recent comment by Jim Zumbo, a writer for Outdoor Life Magazine, indicating his dislike of AR-15 Rifles for hunting purposes is a disgrace to American Gun Owners! His apology is not accepted by this company. We will begin to disconnect from Zumbo's sponsors immediately!

[Carlos]

And for those who mistakenly believe that few gun owners agree with Zumbo's view, you might want to consider the following (from another gun board):

"Another Outdoorlife writer comes out of the closet -"I agree wholeheartedly with Jim"

Now they are really showing thier true colors. They really are Brady bunch supporters:

http://outdoorlife.blogs.com/strutzone/200...omment-60962990

"I agree wholeheartedly with Jim on this and I don't give a damn who does or does not like it. Furthermore, I applaud Jim for having

had the courage to say what he said." -Bill McRae

http://shootingmessengers.blogspot.com/"

I think we have our work cut out for us. Let the lessons begin.

C.

EDIT: looks like some of the postings are being altered or pulled (as was the original Zumbo commentary). Still, it is indicative of the mistaken beliefs held by some of our gun-owning fellow citizens. Lets give them a hand understanding the current reality.

Edited February 20, 2007 by Carlos