Met Jim Zumbo today

sw282

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Cost Zumbo his career, sponsorships, and credibility in the industry. I probably piled on as much as anyone else. Then, in retrospect...you have to ask yourself if you ever posted something on the internet that you regretted, showed poor judgement online, or generally messed up big-time. Yep, guilty as sin here......:D

I do know that he's done a great deal of trying to repair the harm and correct the record on his mistake. Some will say that's not enough or he's just trying to get back in good graces....and should never be forgiven for his monumental blunder...

Me, I'm done judging the man. From what I've read ~ from regular folks that know the man....he's honestly trying to fix what he broke ~~~ and move on.

So maybe it's time to give him the benefit of the doubt. Time to time I've screwed up royally ( just ask the wife ;))... But through my outstanding ability to grovel and beg....I became redeemed.:D

giz
 
The camera was rolling. Kenny was stirring the pot and doing the cooking. The only question asked of Jim was if it needed any more pepper :)
 
Count me in the column that was very upset with Mr. Zumbo, and count me in the column that has said or done something really stupid as well.

That being said there were a couple of lessons that I think have been lost.

We (the gun, shooting, and hunting world) came together very quickly, very forcefully, and very effectively, expressing our outrage, our will, and our determination to demand consequences from the vendors, media, and anyone else that would listen. We got results, and got them quickly.

I think there was a true sense of betrayal, and that lent significant momentum to the calls for Mr. Zumbo's hide.

The reason I am rehashing this episode is that we need to rekindle that sense of betrayal with our elected officials and media, and have often wondered why that does not occur.

I think we do not have that sense of betayal as we know and believe they are just being themselves.

Betrayal is one of the most powerful emotions that can set tremendous events into motion. It certainly bound all of us together and while I am certain Mr. Zumbo was not eager to learn this lesson, it remains a very powerful lesson that should not be forgotten nor dismissed.
 
You are right on pawn cop. That day we all turned on him, we got results. If everyone would get that upset with the politicos...maybe something might change.
 
He and his wife live about 20 miles from me but haven't seen them for a while.

wyo-man
 
I met Zumbo years ago at an outdoor writers' convention, and thought he was pretty full of himself. Maybe he's learned a lesson after his foolish remarks cost him some esteem, and probably some money. Pawncop's remarks are spot on --- there ought to be serious consequences of betraying our fraternity, and not just for those in the fraternity, but for politicians, businesses, and others who act against our interests.
 
I must have missed it,why is everyone upset with him?

A couple of years or so ago Zumbo was out hunting varmints or such and the guide told him how many people were using ARs for that purpose. He wrote a blog on Outdoor Life(IIRC) in which he claimed that those rifles were "terrorists" firearms. So he had every law abiding citizen who owns one out for his hide. Not to mention people who questioned whether Zumbo considers US military and police in this country as terrorists since they used the rifle. Naturally the anti gun crowd trumpeted it up as how that such a respected gun writer was against the firearms.
 
Like many others I was angry with him. I'm over it now. After all, I doubt he'll ever make the same mistake again, and I doubt that anyone else in the hunting/shooting writer's community will either. That guy's got a lot of knowledge and experience in a subject that interests me (elk hunting.) If he were to begin writing again I'd have no problem with his stuff being published, as long as he's learned his lesson.
 
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Serves him right, maybe the only gig he can get anymore is being someones sidekick lapdog or cooking stew.

Americas gun owners don't suffer fools lightly, especially the two faced type.
 
Zumbo is just a case in point

His troubles started when he made a rash decision about the utility and appropriateness of using the AR15 platform for hunting. His words, in effect, stated that the AR15 was no good for hunting, and that no one needed it for this purpose.

This is the same logic that the anti's use when they say that shotguns are okay for duck hunting, but no one needs an AR15, S&W Model 29, etc., since those aren't traditional "hunting" arms.

Morons like Zumbo forget that it's all about all firearms, and not just Model 700's, and 870's.

He's attempted to redeem himself by going out with Ted Nugent, and then stating that he had been redeemed.

Words mean things. I don't have a need for a Barrett in .50 BMG. However, it's just another firearm, and I believe that people who want them, should be able to own them. Zumbo knew exactly about what he wrote, and meant every word of it. He's just another effete writer that was/is never a true believer in the Second Amendment.

It's not as much the object, as it is the right that's endangered.
 
Unlike some of you, I don't give a guy like this "a pass", just because it's over, it's in the past and he's tried to "kiss and make up." What he did was so absolutely over the top, he deserved every little bit of pain his actions caused him.

Yes, we all make mistakes, but you had better be damn sure of what you say. It has implications. You have to pay for your words. He was on the wrong side of the issue and it cost him. With some issues there are not "two sides of the story". There is either right or wrong. Take you pick.
 
Some interesting posts. Yes, the guy screwed up ~ bigtime. In the aftermath of the mess he created - he ponied up to his mistake. The man's done some good things since...

I'm done tearing him down. Been there, done that...
The man is doing more good then most of the folks that get on a soapbox and blindside him. He's paid the price, bellied back up to the bar, and moved on in a positive direction.

He managed to put the past behind him and has done more good things in words and deeds than probabably any of his detractors...

Few cases in point:


Fellow hunter Ted Nugent came to Zumbo's rescue. After the blog incident, Zumbo flew to Nugent's ranch in Texas to learn about the so-called black rifles. Nugent wanted to use Zumbo's ignorance as an example of an avid hunter who was unaware of the popularity and uses of these firearms.

Zumbo went on to work with the Second Amendment Foundation, denounced a statement by an anti-gun senator and exposed his strategy to continually work his flawed words in the Congressional Record, and attended a three day assault rifle course. Zumbo wrote about his experience in an article in SWAT magazine.

On July 3, 2007 Zumbo's TV show went back on the air, and some sponsors began coming back. Over the last few years he's been focusing on wounded soldiers who suffered severe injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, taking them on all-expense paid hunting trips. Zumbo says he doing that even more so now, with several hunts with military heroes in 2007 and 2008, and many more planned in the future.

In August 2008, Zumbo was appointed as national spokesman for the Outdoor Recreation Heritage Fund, which is a branch of the Paralyzed Veterans of America


giz
 
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