Zumbo: Gun rag writer trashes "Assault Weapons"

[Rpd-fire]

I'm mad about the Terrorist comment.

But what really PISSES ME OFF IS THE FACT HE CALLED FOR A BAN ON A FIREARM. I am both a hunter and a shooter and I would never call for a ban on a firearm. No matter what it looks like.


As far as I'm concerned the appoligy was half-a$$ed. Try to pull my butt out of the fire. Save my job.


edit: He is also calling me a terrorist because I like to shoot the AR and not be pounded everytime I pull the trigger. I weight about 110lbs and the AR is a pleasure to shoot.

 

[ZeSpectre]

The Brady Campaign's blog post

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Even Remington's top gun writer agrees on Assault Weapons

With important writers such as this on our side, it is clear that we have a cultural imperitive to remove dangerous terrorist rifles from our streets, and our woods.

http://outdoorlife.blogs.com/zumbo/2007/02/assault_rifles_.html

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.

1:40 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I wonder if Remington has seen this yet.

While it is nice that Mr. Z apologized, it's too little and too late for the amount of damage a high profile person like him has caused to RKBA. He is now "persona non grata" as far as I'm concerned.

 

[dport]

The Brady Bunch is already using his ill-considered words. Oh and they're using Remington's name. Priceless.

Forty years of hunting and he never paid attention to the issues surrounding gun rights? I'm not a hunter but I pay attention to issues surrounding hunting. I get motivated when public land is closed to hunting. But Mr. Zumbo cannot get motivated for my rights as a recreational shooter? He could not do so in 40 years? He doesn't understand the basic arguments involved in gun control?

Tom's eating our own comment could not be further from the truth. If it is indeed true that Mr. Zumbo had no idea what he was saying then he was never "one of our own." He was/is a hunter that couldn't see past his narrowly defined world.

Someone else makes a great point. He never apologized for using the term terrorist weapons. That is telling.

 

[QuietShootr]

Mr. Gresham, you did the rest of us no service today.

 

[CDignition]

The damage has been done, ya Cant Un-ring that bell, just try to control the sound...so now what?

 

[Shaughn Leayme]

Well, Mr Gresham,

I guess I must be one of those rabid unforgiving gun owners out for blood, because even with his apology, which my own employers wouldn't buy for a minute if I did something similar on their dime and with their name gracing the blog, I would be infront of my immediate superior and most likely out of a job and I was tired and didn't realise, wouldn't do it for them.

The comments were over the top and the excuse and apology just aren't going to make up for the damage done. The anti's are already running with it, just what we need.

Give him a chance, unlikely, because if he went off half cocked this time, what is he going to do next time. I shudder to think about it.

 

[swingset]

Well, one thing's for sure. I'm done with Tom Gresham and Guntalk. Absolutely sickened me to hear him defending Zumbo. Especially when his stance so often is portrayed as a staunch defender of the RKBA (which has NOTHING to do with hunting, btw).

Here's the ULTIMATE division, a respected gun and outdoors writer telling his readers "Let's divorce ourselves from them."

Then, Gresham rails at US for being divisive and turning on our own. What a stinking load of bullcrap, complete hipocracy.

This hunting "terrorist" is boycotting Guntalk, a program I used to listen to religiously. He often whines about people on the internet, in this case saying "that's not the real world". Oh really, Tom. Do you think a robot is typing this? I'm as real as you. We all are, and we're hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts strong. We have long memories, too.

If Zumbo meant to divorce hunters from black rifle owners, in one sense he succeeded. There are about a quarter of a million of us spread around the net that will forever see what some hunters really think of us. The axe has split us pretty good, and it was your friend, Mr. Gresham that swung it.

 

[QuietShootr]

Well said, swingset.

 

[koja48]

An apology is a start, removing the blog entry would be a step in the right direction, positive articles would be additional appreciated improvements. The respect he lost must be re-earned, if ever. Forgiveness is a personal thing; that decision has yet to be concluded by this old boy. And with that being said (and my e-mails to sponsors & congressmen posted), I'm off to do something I enjoy . . . shooting a couple of my ARs.

 

[TCB in TN]

Don't think the apology fit the comments, but.....

Can I accept an apology? Yes, I can, if the appology matches the comments, which in this case I do not think it did, BUT even if it did, what i cannot do is forget the comment. We talk all the time about how freedom isn't free, well this is a perfect example. He has freedom of speach, what he doesn't have is freedom from repurcussions. An opinion is that I don't like people using semi auto military style rifles in hunting. Do I agree, well no, but the opinion is fine. What Mr. Zumbo did went far past that. What he did was equate those who own those military style semi auto rifles to terrorists. That in and of it's self is a heinous act, and one that should cost Mr. Zumbo a lot. Further more, as was posted above, the Brady folks have already picked up on the comments and are using them in their effort to further infringe upon our 2nd Ammendment rights. Mr. Zumbo may be a great guy, and a friend to the hunter, but what he said was wrong, and now he will have to pay for that.

 

[Mopar]

Heck of a delurk...

But I just had to point out that MySpace account is brand spanking new.
You can tell by the user number. Myspace grows by hundreds sometimes thousands of new accounts an hour, and by the looks of it that account is less then a hour old. I sure didn't agree with Zumbo either (and posted my feelings over there as well as emailing his sponsors) but this BradyBunch Myspace account looks to have been created just to stir the pot some more.

Climbing back in my hole...........

 

[Tag]

curtesy of the Brady Campaign

Remingtons senior gunwriter speaking out against the use of 'terrorist' rifles . . .

Great, just great, thanks alot Jim.

 

[cigolon]

what i fail to understand is why a man who has "no real gun knowledge" and isn't "a gun guy" would want to go out of his way to try and comment on the legislative needs of certain types of guns- much less to name call. I dont know anything about cars, but i don't go talking about what should be banned and accusing everyone who owns a honda civic of being some 17 year old street racer.

personally i'm too tired of these people who go around saying stupid and insulting things and then jump quickly and make up an excuse and say "sorry, i didn't mean it". cowboy up. say you ment it, and learn to deal with it. if you want to say something dumb- say it and live with it. I have a very hard time thinking he is actually sorrry for saying those things about my guns and the guns of so many other good americans. its a crock. thats more of the politically correct butt covering than anything else.

 

[rbernie]

The Brady Bunch is already using his ill-considered words. Oh and they're using Remington's name. Priceless.

Mr. Gresham, you did the rest of us no service today.

I'm afraid that I have to agree. Tom - you threw him hanging curve balls and never threw the heat. In doing so, you left the whole mess still sitting out there to be exploited, which is exactly what's happening.

The man publicly, while in the pay of the firearms industry, suggested the banning of a style of firearm, and you completely sidestepped that little fact during your show today. I don't care if the response from the Internet has been over the top in your eyes - you had the opportunity to begin damage control for the industry over Zumbo's ill-advised comments and instead you tried to perform damage control for a friend.

While I respect your loyalty to Zumbo, in this instance I do not believe that you did him, or us, any favors.

 

[craig]

well he did apologize, and remington says they, in no way, support him on this issue.

i'm willing to cut remington some slack, because you can't always predict what someone's gonna say/write.

as for mr. zumbo, that's a different story.
calling a certain type of weapon terroristic, and saying it frightens him says a lot.

he may actally try one out, but i think it's to save face/his job. maybe he'll like it, or at least say he does, but his credibility is shot.

i read something once that applies here.

better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you're stupid, than open it and prove them right.

 

[SteveA]

Brady Bunch Already

Zumbo needs to be gone.

He has given fuel to the Anti's that is again going to be difficult or impossible to undo.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=88508969&blogID=231738183&MyToken=e54adf07-f3e3-41c4-b761-304a7318e1a4

I lobby firearms law in NM. I deal with this kind of rhetoric almost on a daily basis during our long legislative session. Now my job just got harder.

Gresham comments something to the effect of it being a one shot deal and the guy is hung. Tom, I appreciate that you want to come to your friends aid but you can't do it with me. That one shot was tossed across my 2nd Amendment bow and it already made a hit. You can't unring the bell my friend. In this case, trying to accept a CYA apology would be like the US apologizing for Nagasaki. The effects are far reaching.

Zumbo cannot apologize enough for the damage he has done farther into the future than you or I can see.

 

[dcm]

I can only imagine what it will cost firearms owners to repel the advance which will surely result from the secular progressive community. How many millions of dollars will we collectively have to raise to defeat the group who better manipulates media and rarely has to pay for it. It is highly unlikely that very few could foot the bill the NRA, GOA, JPFO and numerous others will pay to address this politically. Due to tax increases things are difficult enough and I personally did not need this additional financial burden.

 

[Happyshooter]

From the Blog. Zumbo's boss isn't happy today:

As a point of clarification about this blog, it is important for everyone to realize that the opinions expressed here are Jim’s and not necessarily those of Outdoor Life.

I’ve been friends with Jim for many years and have shared countless great times with him talking about both hunting and guns. While I totally support Jim’s right to express his point of view—this is his blog after all—I don’t happen to agree with him on this matter.

His position that AR- and AK-style rifles don’t have a place among our “sporting arms” is not one that I personally, or Outdoor Life as a magazine, happens to share.

In the six years that I’ve worked at Outdoor Life we have never wavered in our support of our Second Amendment rights, which don’t, and shouldn’t, make a distinction about the cosmetic look of the guns that we choose take to our local gun clubs or into hunting camp.

That said, I don’t expect every other hunter and sportsman out there to have a set of opinions that moves in lockstep with mine. So while I don’t share Jim’s view on this, I also know that he is still the same wonderfully talented and good-natured person he was before this post went up. For those of you who have followed him for all or part of his more than thirty years at Outdoor Life, I would ask you to bear that in mind before damning him with ugly personal attacks.

John B. Snow
Executive Editor
Outdoor Life

 

[Dayton Dave]

"Hello... My name is Dave, and I am a terrorist. I own a AR-15 "assault weapon".

Until today I thought I was a red blooded American veteran. But today I have been informed that I am a terrorist. For this I must change my ways and to that end I have included a list of the things that I must now state publicly, because that is the only way to prove that I have indeed changed what I am.

I am sorry to all of you that have been intimidated by my presence.

I am sorry for having the capacity to spray rounds all over the place.

I am sorry that the look and appearance of my rifle puts fear in the hearts of the populous.

I am sorry that you believe that I am a commando when I go to the range or on a varmint hunt.

Do these apologies sound sincere? I didn't think so either. In fact, they sound as about as sincere as another apology I read just a little while ago.

I am not buying that one either.

 

[LickitySplit]

But I just had to point out that MySpace account is brand spanking new.
You can tell by the user number. Myspace grows by hundreds sometimes thousands of new accounts an hour, and by the looks of it that account is less then a hour old. I sure didn't agree with Zumbo either (and posted my feelings over there as well as emailing his sponsors) but this BradyBunch Myspace account looks to have been created just to stir the pot some more.

Climbing back in my hole...........

+1

Another de-lurker here.

Don't buy into the mis-information. Someone has created a bogus Brady Campaign MySpace blog.

A couple of days ago they were posting an essay by one of the pro-gun DU'ers

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x134243

benEzra Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri Feb-16-07 11:55 AM

Original message
OK, I did NOT do this...

but somebody apparently hacked the Brady Campaign Myspace page, and put up a piece there that I had posted here and on the High Road. Looks like they used the THR version (but THR didn't have anything to do with it either).

Just so everybody knows, I firmly believe that the Brady Campaign has a right to freely express their opinions on their web site and myspace page without being hacked or harassed, so whoever put that up, please take it down. Thank you...

 

[CDignition]

I own an AR10 in .308..I have better terroristic abilities than the normal AR15 owner,lol...Mine is Supersized,lol..

 

[dm1333]

Guntalk

I'm not going to slam on your friend. Enough people here have already done that.

"Jim is a long-time friend. He has always said he is not a gun guy, but a hunter. He knows hunting, but not guns or the gun rights issues or sensitivities."

I do think Jim needs to rethink his view on hunting and guns. If he hunts with a rifle he is in fact a "gun guy" and needs to conduct himself as such.

 

[Bob R]

I own an AR10 in .308..I have better terroristic abilities than the normal AR15 owner,lol...Mine is Supersized,lol..

I am right there with you, I can supersize with my AR10 also, or economize with my AR180B, or just be a run of the mill terroristic gun owner with my AR15. Soon, I hope to be a choco-terrorist, if my SIG 556 would ever get here!

bob

 

[Guntalk]

Welllll . . . .

I invited Jim to give his version of things.

I gave him a forum to explain himself.

He did those. Whether you like his comments or accept his apology is up to each person.

Giving him the floor seemed like the right thing to do.

All this broke while I was walking into the studio, so I was dumping guests, making calls, actually talking on the air, listening to the producer in my headset, typing messages to the call screener, checking email, checking posts here -- and responding, and trying to get Zumbo on the air.

Now, you'll have to excuse me. I'm going to rehab.

 

[3rdpig]

I totally believe his apology. There's little doubt in my mind that after a very interesting call from the honcho at Remington that he's very sorry about saying what he did.

I also believe that his initial post represents his true feelings.

But that's all a moot point. By posting that traitorous drivel, he's given aid and comfort to the enemy. Now we'll have to listen to Clinton, Boxer, Schumer, Fienstien, etc, etc. trumpet his words all over the country during the debate on the next AWB. "Even their most respected hunter agrees with us!"

Thanks a lot Jim. I hope they come after your scary, high powered, sniper rifle with that frightening telescopic scope on it next. [sarcasm] Why would anyone need something that powerful and accurate to kill a deer? Why, I bet you could down a 747 with one of those. I think they should be banned from the streets of America. [/sarcasm]

"We have met the enemy, and they is us." No truer words have ever been spoken.