Jim Zumbo - One Month After “The Post”
Just a little over a month since the infamous Jim Zumbo post calling AR-15’s “terrorist weapons”, papers continue to write about the incident. Maybe not quite as quick as it spread across the internet, the story has spread across the globe. This morning I stumbled across a newspaper article from Australia talking about Jim Zumbo, the NRA, and the controversy over the Second Amendment in the US.
Although I knew the fallout would continue for a long time, I continue to be amazed at the number of articles still being written (as I write my own, of course) over this. The interesting thing is what started out as a firestorm on the internet bent on the destruction of Jim Zumbo has evolved into a rash of articles against those who did the destroying. While there were those who were quick to sever long established ties, others chose to stand by him. One such group is the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, who look at all Mr. Zumbo has done over the years instead of focusing on one post that many in the hunting community agree with anyway.
Mr. Zumbo will attend a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Banquet in Rigdway, PA, this coming Saturday. The invitation to speak was extended before the firestorm, and they have chosen to welcome him despite the recent controversy. I believe this to be proof that Zumbo’s career is anything but over. He has suffered great losses, but those who were so quick to judge have also suffered a loss…they just don’t know it yet. We have so few prominent figures willing to stand up for hunters, the loss of any support will hurt far worse than the imagined damage of “The Post” by Zumbo.
The ones shouting “Victory!” at what they have accomplished are likely to end up being the ones who are actually going to suffer the most. The mentality of ‘throw one of our own to the dogs when the heat gets to be too much!’ hurts us all in the eyes of the non-hunting world. As the story continues it has now shifted focus from what Zumbo wrote to what his own have done to him. It’s not so much about them being dedicated supporters of our Second Amendment Rights as it is about being little more than overzealous bullies.
Exactly where all of this will end is yet to be known, but no doubt there are still plenty of twists and turns to come. The eventual outcome may very well surprise a lot of people. The eyes of the world are turned on us, people. How we treat our own will determine how they view us!
Other posts about Zumbo:
The Jim Zumbo Controversy
The Zumbo Comments Fallout
Jim Zumbo Q&A
Zumbo Apologizes Again
Teaching An Old Hunter New Tricks
Twisting the Events of the Zumbo Affair
Colbert on Zumbo
Hunting, Zumbo, Jim Zumbo, controversy, Second Amendment Rights, NRA, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ridgway, PA, internet, AR-15s, assault weapons
March 20th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
This is such a good post. I think the hunting community did far more damage to itself than it ultimately did to Jim Zumbo. A lot of people who don’t know hunters got a very biased views of hunters as a group that will savage one of their own if he veers from party opinion. That’s not the image we want to project.
March 21st, 2007 at 9:03 am
Kristine, thank you for the comments. I think this may be one of the worst cases of shooting oneself in the foot that I can remember in recent times. And it isn’t Zumbo I’m talking about.
March 29th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
I will never purchase another copy of Outdoor Life or buy a Remington product again. The NRA has done more damage to hunting rights in this country than the Brady Bill ever did; and a definite distinction needs to be made in regards to “hunting” versus “shooting sports”. Hunting is as much about conservation, safety, and ethics as it is about firearms; and if Outdoor Life can’t make that distinction they need to change their name.
April 19th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Enough already……..It serves no purpose to keep this issue in the forefront of the news. Jim made a mistake and apologised for it.
I would rigoriously dispute evidence of any real damage that his comments created.
I have known Jim Zumbo for 30 years and there is not another man in the hunting fraternity who’s opinions and experience I value more.
He and I are not close personal friends, but we are in the same business of guiding hunters, so we often have found ourselves at the same Sport shows, banquets and fundraisers and although Jim probably wouldn’t recognize my name, he has never failed to stop and BS with me regardless of what was going on around us.
It has been my observation that he treats everyone the same way.
His books are the kind of things you can read over and over and always get some serious information from. I don’t always agree with everything he says in his books and seminars on big game hunting,I have 50 years experience in the field myself, and I have my own observations that sometimes don’t match Jim’s……that dosen’t make either of us wrong.
In the world we live in,as hunters and outdoorsmen, turning our backs on the work this fine man has done in his life would be a tragic mistake.
Jim Zumbo can sit at any campfire I am ever at.
April 19th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Dude, why the hell would you make a comment telling people to stop bringing up the Zumbo crap, then proceed to bring it up yourself…especially when the original post is a freakin’ month old?
Doesn’t that make you look like…well, an idiot? Not to mention hypocritical?
There has been something like 40 other topics since this one. Let it go! Really.
Sincerely,
The Moron-Finder.
April 25th, 2007 at 6:32 am
Thank You
March 20th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Zumbo got what he deserved. Assault Rifles are for protection and YES you can varmint hunt with them.
The NRA is patriotic and understands that our right to bear arms is for protection against tyranny and not for hunting.
The fact that a hunter like Zumbo would spit on the patriotic NRA members by saying that a particular firearm is a terrorist weapon is proof that he is a tool of the left and is a useful idiot to those who would strip us of our right to protection.
The whole hunting argument is a ruse, we all know its about personal defense. I don’t need to hunt animals to need a firearm.
Now if only our politicians would learn that trashing the patriots of this country is a bad idea (then we would really have change).
Oh well, all this does is reinforce my belief and respect for the NRA and makes me feel good that sometimes our voice is heard.
As for Zumbo, wake up and stop betraying us.
Thanks to all the manufacturers for dropping Zumbo and instilling our faith in your beliefs.