Zumbo Jumbo
So, this weekend we had a bit of a controversy over hunter and outdoorsman Jim Zumbo equivocating us folks who own black rifles with terrorists. He later said he was wrong. There was quite a bit of pressure and his two posts received thousands of comments. Some thoughts:
I think Zumbo was just ignorant. As a hunter, he likely doesn’t know shit about guns other than to the extent they help him hunt.
I’m inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
We gunnies are too quick to eat our own. Boycotts of the products that sponsored Zumbo were immediately called for without giving the companies who sells those products time to respond. People, for example, immediately wanted to boycott Remington. Well, they were wrong. Reminton’s president left a comment at the thread stating that Zumbo does not speak for them. David Codrea has confirmed that comment was from him and that Remington has severed their relationship with Zumbo over this. That said, I hope all of you who were calling for a boycott are on your way to the gun shop right now to buy a Remington. Remington, who to my knowledge doesn’t even make black rifles, went to bat for us. If you’re willing to crucify them before they respond, you ought to be willing to pony up some cash for their products when they come through.
ETA: And to you guys at Remington, if you’re reading, you can get all the free ads here you want.
Statements like Zumbo’s give anti-gunners ammunition. It’s true. They see one ‘defector’ and pounce. See? In other news, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership has a myspace page.
I believe this is also a time that we handgunners and EBR nuts need to look inside and wonder what we’ve done to drop the ball that someone as high up as Jim Zumbo didn’t get the message on the importance of these issues and how they are connected to hunting
So, to all you evil black rifle and handgunner nuts out there: Take a Fudd shooting.
More on this at The Ninth Stage, SIH, KDT, and Kevin.
February 19th, 2007 at 10:29 am
We gunnies are too quick to eat our own.
[noises of strong agreement] A number of gunblogs that I read tripped all over each other racing to condemn Zumbo, ridicule his apology, and declare they’d never read his stuff again. To some extent I can sympathize — there are issues about which I feel just as strongly, and probably would never believe an apology no matter how it was phrased. But on the other hand, what if Zumbo’s apology was sincere and he really has learned his lesson? Are gunophiles really such cold-hearted bastards that there’s no room in their world for forgiveness?
February 19th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Yup.
Makes me wonder, though, if this is another paradigm shift. It’s obvious that the “EBR” [1] people far outnumber the snobby skeet and hunting elite. Perhaps this will be a wake-up call to others, now that the silent majority has shouted.
I’m still mad at Jim-Bo, and I think it’s funny when he plays his NRA card or uses up his last ‘Nuge “lifeline”, and I think he needs to go a bit further with his apology.
Perhaps he can buy the NRA a museum as penance too.
Still, the response and “DDoS” attack has been amazing. If we could channel that into a beam, the Brady Bunch wouldn’t have a chance.
[1] EBR: Evil Black Rifle
February 19th, 2007 at 10:59 am
I call my “evil black rifle” a self defense weapon which I hope I never need, but if I do, I’ll need it now! One reads and hears of home invasions by multiple invaders. If such a thing were to happen, the sight of me with my Russian AK with a 30 rd. mag would likely be a deterrent without firing a shot. With our CFR controlled government continuing to follow an open borders policy, having effective self-defense weapons is an ever greater necessity. Only criminals, tyrants and terrorists need be concerned about them in the hands of American citizens.
February 19th, 2007 at 11:22 am
I really do appreciate Remington’s response to this, and will be sure to stock up on some Remington ammo. I totally support “Take a Fudd Hunting Day”, except it’ll be hard for me to find a Fudd who doesn’t also shoot EBRs.
February 19th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Have you guys seen this hilarious poem on the M16The Blaming of the Parts?
February 19th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Heh. that’s funny.
February 19th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Look, this guy is a writer. Supposedly thoughtful.
He KNEW what he was saying, and KNEW the implications. He just thought he was saying it in a venue where he could get away with it.
Wrong.
I’m not buying any apologies or mea culpas yet either. When I see a half dozen zumbo articals validating my ownership of whatever firearm I wish, for whatever legal purpose I wish, we’ll talk.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
As I’ve maintained in other threads, the supposed “divide” between Fudds and EBR owners is waaay overblown. At the grassroots level there’s not much difference between the two, at least from my personal experience. Most hunters I know own some type of hi-cap semi-auto, and most if not all were infuriated by the AW ban.
Zumbo’s attitudes are typical for his community: The upper-class, left-of-center, snobby elite hunters who own $3,000 trap shotguns and custom-made hunting rifles, and who spend their vacation at exclusive hunting preserves (John Kerry is a perfect example). Most outdoor writers like Zumbo either are naturally part of this group, or they suck up to them big-time in order to get all-expenses-paid hunting vacations and other freebees.
These folks are perplexed and somewhat threatened by the shooters for the same reason gun control elites are: They fear the great unwashed having more powerful weapons than they do. Zumbo may have “learned his lesson” in order to keep his job, but his original thoughts were more indicative of his political beliefs.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I just bought a new Remington 870. I was going to buy a Mossberg, but I decided to show my support for Remington.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
I have to agree with Captain Holly.
You know, SayUncle, that I’m a rabbit hunter and more of a traditionalist. I like my 1929 Fox for rabbits, my 1100 for deer at close range, and my stick and string for primitive weapon season. I’ve insulted, quite often, the long range shooter as not really hunting, but similar to shooting a cow in a feedlot.
BUT, I know perfectly well–different strokes— and that the second isn’t about hunting.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
This is definately a wake up call for Outdoor Life mag.
And rightly so. If it’s main lifeline comes from people who use guns, whether for sport shooting or hunting, it only makes sense to have your writers be somewhat in touch with your constituency.
I wonder if this will have any long-term effect on advertizing? Hopefully Remington’s quick response will have saved them an unnecessary and unfortunate loss. I wonder if they’ll advertize with anyone’s blog again? Or any gun related product manufacturer, for that matter.
The internet is an in-yer-face real-time, volatile, hostile arena. Things can go real well or real bad, real fast.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
One other thing… Regarding the incredibly overwhelming, almost instantaneous reader responses on Zumbo’s blog.
What incredible power! Within minutes a major manufacturer yanks its association with a well known (?) writer. Just imagine all that collective energy harnessed and working together on one clear goal. We have the power. We just need to harness it and aim it at the right enemy.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
But on the other hand, what if Zumbo’s apology was sincere and he really has learned his lesson? Are gunophiles really such cold-hearted bastards that there’s no room in their world for forgiveness?
Wolfwalker:
Sure, we have room for forgiveness.
But has he really learned his lesson? We won’t know for some time. In the meantime, he’s the new spokesperson for the Brady Campaign for Banning Guns.
I’m willing to suspend some condemnation for his apology, but this also brings us to question: How could he be a gunwriter for “30 years”, become influential, and be that pigheadly ignorant?
His apology is an important first step. But it’s by no means restitution for what his (honest) actions initially were. Even as he called me a terrorist, he admitted that “he was told” that these rifles were “tackdrivers”. While he’s out.. with .. a long-range rifle. That presumably is a tackdriver. Firing a similar round.
It doesn’t take a lot of analysis to derive that he had enough information at his command to realize that he was being stupid. So, an immediate apology is nice, and the correct action. It doesn’t mean he’s actually rethought his pigheaded views, however.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
[…] At Tam’s, I commented that I wanted him fired. That was my initial reaction, but I think Uncle’s right … we should look at this as an educational opportunity. […]
February 19th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
[…] In an update to the Zumbo mess, Remington has a statement at their website: NOTICE: Remington is in the process of severing our sponsorships with Mr. Zumbo. Remington in no way shares or advocates any of the comments made by Mr. Zumbo on his blog site. A formal announcement will be released by noon today. […]
February 19th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
[…] But I want to come back to the education angle. Say Uncle says, Take a Fudd shooting. Which brings up a good question. How do we find these people?. The name Jim Zumbo wasn’t completely unknown to me, but I can’t place where or when I’ve heard of him before. He was, efffectively, completely outside my frame of reference. So, where’s the intersection between hunters and the non-hunting gun community, where we can address these issues? The logical candidate is a large organization such as the NRA. And if you spend time thinking about it, you start to wonder whether, if they haven’t been able to do it, it can be done at all. Of course, many, including myself, will argue that the NRA has been too soft on the gun rights issues, and so winds up being a poor choice. But the thing is that if someone such as Zumbo is representative, then many of the hunters we need to reach are old enough to know better, and ought to remember the times when guns weren’t so thoroughly villified. And when the government wasn’t so damned intrusive into all walks of life. Have they just forgotten that? I don’t think so, because many will reminisce about better times when you could be seen carrying a rifle without it causing a major public disturbance. […]
February 19th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Unix-Jedi,
How could he be a gunwriter for “30 years”, become influential, and be that pigheadly ignorant?
I don’t know. His post seems to have been based entirely on one erroneous belief: that EBR’s work like the battle rifles they resemble, full-automatic rather than manual-action or semiauto like the hunting firearms he’s familiar with. Maybe he’s spent thirty years using single-shots and manual-action guns, and never used or looked much at the military lookalikes, so he never bothered to acquire the useless (to him) knowledge of how they work. I think that’s a pretty arrogant, stupid, and elitist attitude to take, mind you. In my mind it paints him as a piss-poor gun writer, and I’d automatically downgrade the reliability of everything else he ever said about guns.
His apology is an important first step. But it’s by no means restitution for what his (honest) actions initially were.
Agreed. In the words of Mr. Reagan: “Trust, but verify.” He’s got a long way to go to make up for it. I’m just not sure of the justice of one mistake, even one as egregious as this, costing the guy his job and his entire livelihood.
February 19th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
To me, the most interesting thing about the whole episode was pointed out by Snowflakes in Hell:
I certainly agree with your sentiments. There is no pressing need for optics that allow shooters to make sniper shots from over one hundred meters.
Posted by Brady Campaign on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 2:11 PM
That’s right: After all handuns and all pump & semiauto rifles & shotguns are banned, the Bradys will want to ban RIFLE SCOPES.
February 20th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
As I posted to Zumbo, “distancing” himself from people with “Terrorist weapons” won’t change the fact that, as far as the Brady’s are concerned, he’s a sniper-assassin engaging in the bloodsport of killing Bambi.
I’m more than willing to forgive. All he has to do is start using, posing with and endorsing EBRs.
February 21st, 2007 at 10:48 am
***I think Zumbo was just ignorant. As a hunter, he likely doesn’t know shit about guns other than to the extent they help him hunt. ***
Great observation about a 2007 candidate for election to the MRA Board of Directors. Yep, he’s still on the ballot, where he’ll no doubt soon be *representing the membership.*
February 21st, 2007 at 11:41 am
I have to agree with Captain Holly. This would be a better explaination than trying to figure out if there really is a conspiricy between the Brady bunch and Zumbo.
I have 3 black rifles, 4 until I gave my son-inlaw one and according to Zumbo I am already a terrorist. I’m gong elk hunting next weekend with my son-inlaw and I am using my 50bmg rifle, I suppose that Zumbo would consider that a sniper rifle and have me shipped off to Gitmo!
February 24th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Fudds, like Zumbo and Petzal, have the “only straight-stocked Mauser-style rifles are legitimate” mindset.
Petzal claims to be a “gunnut” but he doesn’t understand that the original Mauser 1898 action was designed for a MAIN BATTLE RIFLE. It was intended to KILL at long range whatever living thing it was shot at. Whatever living thing – wabbits, deer, coyotes, and PEOPLE. Yup, your precious “deer rifle” comes from a family of weapons designed to kill human beings.
How about that, Elmer?
Bolt action Mauser “hunting rifle” being used as designed.
[img]http://re3.mm-a6.yimg.com/image/3399193671[/img]
February 25th, 2007 at 9:51 am
I’m not a gunowner and will never be one. Most of my friends hunt and have explained the difference between the various fire-arms– they are farmers and avid hunters. Zumbo was totally correct– assault rifles have no place in the sport of hunting. By the way I’ll never support anyone politically who attempts to take away from individuals the right to bear arms. Those that attacked Zumbo and commercially walked away from him are no better than cowards and belong to the “politically correct” liberal groups.
February 25th, 2007 at 9:52 am
I read where Zumbo said he was tired when he wrote the article (MSNBC).
Unfortunately, he spoke his mind, and showed himself to be a gun snob. There is plenty of room hunting and shooting for all types of guns. You just match the caliber to the game to be harvested. You don’t have to have a Weatherby to shoot deer. Calling military-style rifle owners terrorists was a stupid, ignorant move. He got on too high a pedestal and now he has fallen. Hunting and shooting is supposed to be a fun sport. Not something based on the quality of gun you have. It’s a shame that some high and mighty think that way. Maybe now, they might learn a lesson.
Unfortunately, I doubt they will.
February 25th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Ok, this guy Zumbo made some comments about military style assault weapons and hunting praire dogs, now the portion of calling them terrorist rifels maybe was wrong, but give me a break on the uproar this has caused and all of a sudden, every freakin nut has come out of the woodwork yelling for his job or his head or both. The NRA is all up in arms over this (please!!!), I use to be a member of the NRA and plan on becoming one again, unless they go crazy again with some of their things they fight for. As far as some of his comments, I concur, there is just no freakin need to hunt a praire dog with an semi-assault weapon.
There were other comments that high power rifles use the same calibers, so what’s the big deal, image is what I tell you, image! It’s all in the image and how they are perceived. Think about it.