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I only have so much money for hunting you see. When I buy a gun or scope etc. it comes out of my hunting money. I cannot imagine myself ever spending hunting money on a burp gun.

I found this apology from Zumbo at: http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/02/jim-zumbo-apologizes.html

I was wrong, BIG TIME
"Someone once said that to err is human. I just erred, and made without question, the biggest blunder in my 42 years of writing hunting articles.

My blog inflamed legions of people I love most..... hunters and shooters. Obviously, when I wrote that blog, I activated my mouth before engaging my brain.

Let me explain the circumstances surrounding that blog. I was hunting coyotes, and after the hunt was over and being beat up by 60 mph winds all day, I was discussing hunting with one of the young guides. I was tired and exhausted, and I should have gone to bed early. When the guide told me that there was a "huge" following of hunters who use AR 15's and similar weapons to hunt prairies dogs, I was amazed. At that point I wrote the blog, and never thought it through.

Now then, you might not believe what I have to say, but I hope you do. How is it that Zumbo, who has been hunting for more than 50 years, is totally ignorant about these types of guns. I don't know. I shot one once at a target last year, and thought it was cool, but I never considered using one for hunting. I had absolutely no idea how vast the numbers of folks are who use them.

I never intended to be devisive [sic], and I certainly believe in United we Stand, Divided we Fall. I've been an NRA member for 40 years, have attended 8 national NRA conventions in the last 10 years, and I'm an advisory board member for the United States Sportsmen's Alliance which actively fights anti-hunters and animal rights groups for hunter's rights.

What really bothers me are some of the unpatriotic comments leveled at me. I fly the flag 365 days a year in my front yard. Last year, through an essay contest, I hosted a soldier wounded in Iraq to a free hunt in Botswana. This year, through another essay contest, I'm taking two more soldiers on a free moose and elk hunt.

When I started blogging, I was told to write my thoughts, expressing my own opinion. The offensive blog I wrote was MY opinion, and no one else's. None of the companies that I deal with share that opinion, nor were they aware of what I had written until this firestorm started.

Believe it or not, I'm your best friend if you're a hunter or shooter, though it might not seem that way. I simply screwed up. And, to show that I'm sincere about this, I just talked to Ted Nugent, who everyone knows, and is a Board member of the NRA. Ted is extremely active with charities concerning our wounded military, and though he's known as a bowhunter, Ted has no problem with AR 15's and similar firearms. My sincerity stems from the fact that Ted and I are planning a hunt using AR 15's. I intend to learn all I can about them, and again, I'm sorry for inserting my foot in my mouth."

Zumbo made a mistake. Hell, we all make mistakes in life. His are just front page news. I for one will wait and see what he does in the future but I think he will make every effort to make ammends. I would have liked to have sat in on his discussion, after the fact, with Ted Nugent present. I'll bet Ted set him straight!
I believe Jim has seen the error of his way. Charleton Heston had to set straight on so called "assault weapons" when he was president of the NRA for heaven's sake! From what I've read and heard, from quite a number of other hunters and gunowners, many need to be educated as to the fallacy of banning firearms for cosmetic reasons.

I like Zumbo. I've enjoyed his writing for years. I hope to continue to enjoy it.

2Seventy

Hats off to Remington.Zumbo sold out all law abiding gun owners.I don't shoot the firearms he is talking about but other law abiding citizens do.They ban the so-called assault rifles and next they will be after Zumbo's hunting rifles.What will he think about his comments then.

double tap deleted

Mike H,
Very well said, your reply to Bert12.

Some mistakes are costlier than others, and Mr. Zumbo made one that cost him, as well as it cost those that support the RKBA. Bert refers to the Constitution and while not clearly stating it, I beleive he's refering to the first amendment when defending Zumbo. Well, no one has taken that right from Mr. Zumbo, and Zumbo can freely speak his mind, but he must know that we don't have to support his ideas, his sponsors that have linked themselves with his image and endorsments, or his income.

Remington dropping Zumbo was an appropriate response.
The difference between the rifles that Zumbo asked to be banned by state DNRs and Remington's Model 7400 and 750, is primarily cosmetic. Zumbo gave them no choice. How can they pay a man who promotes a view 180 degrees opposite of theirs?

BTW, I doubt Remington lost a sale to bert- Remington doesn't offer a .338 in the 700 Ti. Of course, which other gun company can Bert by a rifle from that willsupport Zumbo's position????

Well, that's a heck of an apology by Mr. Zumbo, and Mr. Nugent might want to post a picture of 'ol Jim with the ear-to-ear grin he's going to be wearing when he rips of a few magazines of .223!

It takes courage to apologize on a grand scale, and I hope all the damage can be restored to a better end.

MH-

Excellent post, and you make some great points. The difference for me, I guess, is that I, you, and Mr. Zumbo, are individuals, and therefore entitled to our opinions. Remington is a corporation. The bottom line is the mighty dollar. For them to claim they are dropping him as a sponsor to "defend the second amendment" is pure crap, and rings hollow in light of the rights as an individual.

And, supreme court finding to the contrary, there is a difference in my mind between an individual and a corporation. Certainly, when we discuss defending our freedoms, it is those freedoms that you and I enjoy as individuals that I think of, not those of a large corporation that doesn't have the balls to hang in there with someone for longer than a day or two and find out the whole story. Scary really, how much power some of the extreme gun owners in this country wield....

Not trying to pick a fight (despite some of my comments). Just that I have met Mr. Zumbo, and find him to be a fine person, and one that deserves a little more respect for his views then he is getting on this forum.

Oh, and as for the comments about the "typical M.O. of the left" give me a break. Take to the Rush Limbaugh show. You made some great points until you inserted that drivel. I expect that from Rush --- not from someone who actually thinks one their own.

It's all good, Major.
I used to BE 'left', until I got into guns and started listening to Rush!
Thanks for the friendly response. You're a great American!

I hope all his sponsers follow suit. Im proud of Remington for leading the way and canning Dumbo Zumbo.

Man this is a tough one to write on. yes zumbo betrayed some of us, and others he did not. personally, i do not own or do i see my self owning a AR-15. i see them as assault weapons as well. however, i do see them as very useful and succesful prarie dog and coyote guns, i however have a kimber 84m varminter for that a fine rig if i do say so myself. yes his comments may have hurt us, but at the same time they are his opinions and werent like saying hunting is bad, killing is bad lets never do it again. he simply was talking about a certain type of gun. now, for him to call them terrorist guns is obsurd and over the line.