# Jim Zumbo



## oldfireguy (Jun 23, 2005)

Like most sportsmen, I was disappointed to learn of Jim Zumbo's statements involving the words "banned", "terrorist" and "assault weapons". I was shocked to hear that coming from a man of his experience and stature.
But reading his followup apology, I think he himself was shocked and disappointed that such words could come from him. 
Ya know.....we all have said something rash, stupid, hurtful and that we regret. And to choose to shun Jim Zumbo because of his mistake is to deny him the human qualities and frailties that have made him such a great writer and outdoorsman for these past several decades. 
And I am sure that is to the great delight of the "Anti's".
I've never met the man. Never spoken with him. But knowing him by his writings and television show, he would always be welcome in my hunting camp.


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

Don't believe it for a second, he meant it and would not be backpeddling if he wouldn't have got tagged where it counts.
He gave the anti's fuel that will most assuredly carry well into congress. 
There will be repercussions from this sooner rather than later IMO.

The faster he an phony tony flame out the better.


----------



## Horsager (Aug 31, 2006)

Nugent offered Mr. Zumbo a forum to first of all hear the outrage of the shooting community once again, and then to respond. Mr. Zumbo was put through the wringer once again, but a few stepped up and thought re-education would be more effective than beating the dead horse.
Here is someone who wishes to turn Zumbo into an advocate for the very style of rifles that he expressed disintrest in just a week ago.



> Jim Zumbo,
> Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Denny Hansen and I am the editor of S.W.A.T. Magazine. I have several nationally known tactical firearms instructors who have offered to let you attend one of their courses with an AR-15 to see that the only use for such guns is not in the hands of terrorists OR for hunting.
> These courses are attended regularly not only by cops and Soldiers, but by professional people such as lawyers and doctors as well. Thousands of private citizens each year attend such courses either as a hobby or to learn skills for defense of themselves and family. After attending a course, I would like you to write an article for S.W.A.T telling what you have learned about folks who buy and use semiautomatic rifles for fun and defense. We will provide a loaner rifle for you to use. If you're sincerely interested in spreading the truth about so-called "assault rifles" please contact me by email at [email protected] or phone me directly at (928)775-5902.


Here is Zumbo's response:



> I just read Denny Hanson's comment. He is the editor of S.W.A.T Magazine and invited me to take a course in shooting AR-15's, and when I'm done, he asked if I'd write an article in the magazine about using the gun.
> I agreed. Bring it on, bro!


I think as long as Mr. Zumbo isn't being paid for any of this, that there is hope for him to become a TRUE 2nd amendment advocate. I think the next thing he needs to do is speak with his representative from WY. He needs to be in Washington D.C. while HR 1022 is in committee. He needs to be in the committee meeting to make sure the anti's use not only the article that caused all the ruckos, but to make sure his many different apologies are voiced as well. The apology of Mr. Zumbo's that seems the most sincere to me is this one from Nugent's board:



> The last few days have been an educational experience, to say the least. My ill-conceived inflammatory blog, as all of you now know, set off a firestorm that, I'm told, has never before been equaled. I'm not proud of that.
> Let me say this at the outset. My words here are from the heart, and all mine. No one can censor me, and I answer to no one but myself. And I have no one to blame but myself. Outdoor Life, a magazine that I worked for full-time as Hunting Editor for almost 30 years, fired me yesterday. My TV show was cancelled yesterday. Many of my sponsors have issued statements on their website to sever all relationships. This may cause many of you to do backflips and dance in the streets, but, of course, I'm not laughing, nor am I looking for sympathy. I don't want a pity party.
> 
> They say hindsight is golden. Looking back, I can't believe I said the words "ban" and "terrorist" in the context that I did. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that. I can explain this as sheer ignorance and an irresponsible use of words. What I've learned over the last few days has enlightened and amazed me. As a guy who hunts 200 days a year, does seminars on hunting, wrote for six hunting magazines, had a hunting TV show, and wrote 20 books on hunting, how could I have been so ignorant and out of touch with reality in the world of hunting and shooting?
> ...


----------



## mudstud (Nov 30, 2004)

The part that bothers me, is Zumbo's use of the term "legitimate hunting purposes". This doesn't sound like an apology from a man who has suddenly discovered the meaning of the 2nd Amendment. Yeah, he apologized, having discovered black rifles are indeed used in hunting. But that's as far as it goes. Time will tell.


----------



## flightbirds (Jun 25, 2004)

Oldfireguy,

I agree with your sentiments completely. You said what I was feeling but I did not have the patience or temperament to put into a post.


----------



## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

oldfireguy said:


> I think he himself was shocked and disappointed that such words could come from him.


I think he was shocked and disappointed that he lost all those sponserships.

He said what he meant and meant what he said. It's been my experience that the first thing that comes out of your mouth is your true feelings about whatever it is you are talking about. He posted a retraction because of the ****storm that followed. He can apologize all he wants, it won't undo the damage that he caused with those words.

Any time you are in a position such as he was in, people listen to what you have to say. Lots of impressionable young minds out there reading Outdoor Life. If the great Jim Zumbo says that those terrible Black AR-15's shouldn't be used for hunting, then that is gospel.

I for one have lost any respect that I once had for the man. It will be a long time coming back, if it ever does. Sad really, I used to enjoy his stories.

huntin1


----------



## jakester (Apr 13, 2004)

I don't know Zumbo, and I wouldn't go across the street to meet him. I also don't think he could ever successfully hunt anything if it wasn't a "canned" hunt with a guide. I think most TV hosts fall into that category. He's ruined his career......for now.....and I could care less about that too. What bothers me is how many perfect people there seem to be out there who apparently have NEVER said anything they didn't really mean..................wow. I wonder what it's like to look in the mirror each day and know that you're perfect. I guess I'll never know, because I'm human, and therefore I'm not......................


----------



## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

There is a difference if freaking Joe Blow from BFE North Dakota says something but for someone in his position to say what he did....well.....he's definitely now feeling the ramifications of his poor choice of words. Deservedly so I may add! IMO I don't think he didn't mean to say it at all. I think that is exactly how he feels! I just think he's just sorry it "ended up" this way. I say good riddens!


----------



## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

As well known of a name as Jim Zumbo has, the great ability he has to put his thoughts into words for the public to hear and having demolished the carreer he spent years building it may be a good choice for Mr. Zumbo to get into politics. Possibly be a lobbyist against gun control after Ted Nugent, Denny Hansen and others educate him on firearms?


----------



## Danimal (Sep 9, 2005)

Yes, everyone is probably guilty of saying something that wasn't "kosher". The difference here is that Zumbo is supposed to be an authority on guns, therefore his words carry more weight then the average person. In addition, Zumbo used a mass media to carry those words.

Although we have the 1st Ammendment and we can exercise that, we must be careful in HOW we exercise it. Anyone who is thought to be an authority must use extra caution, BECAUSE of how his words may affect others.

The fact is, the antis are going to use his statements against us. It doesn't matter whether he INTENDED for that to happen or not.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

This does serve as a reminder, that ANYONE who posts to the net can be quoted and used against us. And IMHO, the ANTIs ARE surfing *our *sites waiting for anyone to post something that can be used against us.

Remember the discussion on weapon/gun????

I think Zumbo is sorry because his life changed and he's out of work. I don't think he's really sorry for the implecations to us.

If losing his job is the worst that comes out of this, *we* are lucky.

Thankfully the former sponsors do hold themselves to higher standards than he held himself.


----------



## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

I sure wish Col. John Dean "Jeff" Cooper was around to comment on this. I'm sure he would have some "choice" words for Mr. Zumbo. There wouldn't be any "punches pulled" either. :wink: :beer:


----------



## Bgunit68 (Dec 26, 2006)

I agree with Jakester. One of my stands is about 2/3 of a mileback in pretty tough terrain. I go in before dawn and sometimes sit until after dusk. I have a summit 180 tree stand, GPS, Bino's, rangefinder, compound bow, a camelback backpack with 3 liter water bladder, lunch, knife and various calls and gear. I'm 350 lbs so that's close to a quarter ton going through the woods. The only thing I've ever seen him carry is his rifle. I have to say I've only seen a few of his shows. But they were all canned. I can't watch that. To me that's not hunting. I'd like to see him huddled around two hand warmers just to get warm or go home and have to check for ticks because you're hunting in tick infested swamps. Sorry, he made his bed. Lay in it.


----------



## dakotaoutdoors (May 16, 2005)

I have to agree with oldfire. A man with Jim Zumbo's experience should have known better than to use these words. However, I too must classify myself as an uneducated ethical hunter who has trouble seeing the purpose of using an AR-15 for in the field hunting. A great recreational target gun, absolutely. In fact, I hope to own one some day. But with the wide variety of calibers, IMHO I feel that using an AR-15 for hunting is unnecessary. Like I said, call me uneducated, but I believe that other than the Jim's choice of words, his thought process is not that far off from many of us. Jim's public persona does put him up for more public criticism than the likes of me, but I believe that it takes each and everyone of us to ensure the future of hunting. Will Jim's comments be misconstrued by many, absolutely, but if there was a way to tally the number of hunters today that have been positively affected by the lifelong experiences and knowledge of someone like Jim, I think you would see his positive side far outways the negative. Jim's apology sounds heartfelt and with conviction. He could easily hang it up, but instead he hopes to right his wrongs and educate more people in the true nature of the AR-15 and similar weapons. I applaud him for that and would gladly hunt beside him anyday.


----------



## Danimal (Sep 9, 2005)

dakotaoutdoors,

I hate to keep harping on this but you wrote, "He could easily hang it up, but instead he hopes to right his wrongs and educate more people in the true nature of the AR-15 and similar *weapons*."

THEY ARE FIREARMS, NOT WEAPONS. Everytime refers to any firearm as a weapon it gives the anti-gunners more momentum. Every uneducated person who hears "weapon" then uses that term too and the domino effect occurs.

*I thought we all learned a lesson from Zumbo,* as much as we do not like it, *we must be prudent in our verbage.* We are all under the microscope of the antis.


----------



## MOB (Mar 10, 2005)

dakotaoutdoors said:


> I too must classify myself as an uneducated ethical hunter who has trouble seeing the purpose of using an AR-15 for in the field hunting. A great recreational target gun, absolutely. In fact, I hope to own one some day. But with the wide variety of calibers, IMHO I feel that using an AR-15 for hunting is unnecessary.
> 
> He could easily hang it up, but instead he hopes to right his wrongs and educate more people in the true nature of the AR-15 and similar weapons. I applaud him for that and would gladly hunt beside him anyday.


Please clarify why an AR-15 is unnecessary for hunting and what is " the true nature of the AR-15 "? Is it the black color looks menacing to you or is it because it's semi automatic? How do you feel about my old somewhat blued semiautomatic Remington 1100? What if I had a black synthetic stock and forearm on it?


----------



## flightbirds (Jun 25, 2004)

The difference between MOB's Remington and an AR-15 and thus the skepticism that some have as to it's value as a hunting rifle is: when you Google AR-15 and auto conversion you get more than 60,000 responses. Maybe there are those out there that wish to make ther Remington 1100s fully auto - but why.


----------



## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

The answer to this would be for recreation, since it no longer can be used for hunting purposes. Also a person cannot just "make there 15 into a fullauto". The person has to get permits, register it, and pay i believe a yearly due to keep the permit


----------



## Mannlicher (Sep 18, 2005)

I don't believe for a moment, that a fellow immersed in the gun culture for the past 40+ years could have been ignorant of the issues involved. I believe he was stating his long held bias, and beliefs.
I don't believe for a moment, that his 'apology' is sincere, or that he has had an epiphany. Jim is just backpeddling, much like all the other celebs caught in an indiscretion. I for one, don't forgive him.


----------



## Danimal (Sep 9, 2005)

From an old post.....but it relates...

Now some may ask, "what purpose does an AR-15 have?" Well ANY FIREARM'S SOLE PURPOSE TO FIRE A BULLET OR PELLETS (in the case of a shotgun). IT IS HOW THE FIREARM IS USED THAT IS THE REAL ISSUE. If you want to shoot one at paper targets, then go ahead. If you want to go hunting and it's legal, go ahead. If you want to collect firearms, go ahead. *It is not my or your place to ask WHY someone wants to own a particular firearm.* The only thing should be interested in is, can that person legally own it. PERIOD!


----------



## mudstud (Nov 30, 2004)

Danimal,

HEAR! HEAR!

For some of the other posters, Zumbo's big f++k up was not in condemning black rifles for hunting, it was in calling them "terrorist" rifles. If he had quit when he was ahead, he would still have a job!


----------



## 280IM (Mar 28, 2005)

mudstud you are 100% correct now everyone line up and kick old Jim in the nuts one more time. I am sure his remarks will get all our guns taken away from us,the consitution will be changed for ever. The one thing that will be changed for ever is old Jim's life for the mistake he made. It is good to know no one that has cussed him, ever said anything they wished they hadn't of.


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

Great point, condoning someone's bad behavior by pointing out someone else's. Typically used in the third grade.

Line him up, I'll be first.


----------



## dakotaoutdoors (May 16, 2005)

There is the backlash I was expecting!

First let me apologize for using the word "Weapon". I never claimed to have a way with words, nor do I get paid for it like Jim. In my negligence, I tend to group all my sporting goods (guns, knives, etc.) together as "weapons" and tend not to think of them otherwise. I will do my best to clarify myself better in the future.

As far as being unnecessary, I stated that it was MY opinion. I feel that to many outside of the hunting and shooting sports (they don't have to be anti's to outside the sport), having a FIREARM similar to an AR-15 vs. that of a typical .270 or .30-.06 in the field, tends to give more of the savage image that I hope many of us are trying not to convey. It doesn't have to be fully automatic to have a stigmatism attached to it. So to me, it is unncessary, when I have so many other options that don't have near the public perception.

Do I think people have the right to use an AR-15 to hunt? Absolutely, we used to have a guy in my hunting party that had an AR-15 with a bayonet on the end. Did I tell him to get out because I did not agree with it. NO, I laughed and thought "What a crazy SOB". I simply will not carry one, except to the firing range. These are my thoughts, not demands.

Speaking of portraying a savage image, I am sure the anti's won't construe others comments of kicking Jim in the Nuts as savage or brutal. If you don't agree with someone's comments, fine. But wishing bodily harm to someone because it doesn't fit your idea of what is right is just fuel to their fire. The last thing we need to do is create a division between us, which is exactly what they are looking for. I was simply stating my opinion, not telling others what to do.


----------



## Danimal (Sep 9, 2005)

dakotaoutdoors,

I respect yours and everyone else's right to opinion. I hope you know that.

Actually, I agree with you to some extent, about perceptions about certain firearms. That is why I am SSSOOOOO addament about the word weapon, it helps to perpetuate the "evil gun" perceptions.

I am just reallly fired up about this, because not only do we have a Federal ban to worry about, there is also a sim. bill under review in MD.

So I spend my time between working and campaigning to get anybody I know in MD to get off their seats and do something. My dad taught me 25-30 years ago that the word "weapon" was going to come back and bite any gun owner who used that word instead of "firearm".... I hate it when my dad can say,.... "I told you so....."

AND TO TOP IT OFF,....a guy that I have duck hunted with, hunted deer on his family farm in slower, I mean southern MD...was just made Sectry of Planning in MD..... and he would be fine with a so called Assault weapon ban....because it "won't affect him and his Rem 1100".

Here is a so called sportsman and gun owner who can't see the light. I am so ****** because, we thought he valued the 2nd Amd.


----------



## dakotaoutdoors (May 16, 2005)

Danimal,

Thank you. I also respect your opinion and your very legitimate concerns. We all have to do what we can to preserve our hunting heritage. Good luck with your campaign in MD.


----------

