More from Jim Zumbo

[BUCKMARK]

JIM ZUMBO
PO Box 2390
Cody, WY 82414
March 28, 2007
An Open Letter to the
United States Senate

Dear Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen:

It recently came to my attention that one of your colleagues, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, has chosen to attack firearms owners using remarks I wrote in mid-February as his launch pad. As you probably know, Sen. Levin has been making anti-gun speeches every week for the past eight years because of a promise he made to the Economic Club of Detroit in May 1999.

Mr. Levin has an agenda, and he should have spoken to me before using my name in one of his speeches, especially since his remarks were entered into the Congressional Record. I would like my remarks here entered into the Congressional Record as well.

Sen. Levin is only one of 16 members of the Senate to vote against the Vitter Amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. This amendment prohibits the confiscation of a privately-owned firearm during an emergency or major disaster when possession of that gun is not prohibited under state or federal law.

Eighty-four senators voted for that amendment, inspired by the egregious confiscation of firearms from the citizens of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005. Those seizures, you will recall, led the Second Amendment Foundation and National Rifle Association to join in a landmark civil rights lawsuit in federal court that brought the confiscations to an abrupt end.

The taking of private property without warrant or probable cause – even firearms – was considered an outrage by millions of American citizens, and yet Sen. Levin joined 15 of his colleagues in voting against this measure. It is no small wonder that Sen. Levin gets an “F” rating from gun rights organizations. He would have American citizens disarmed and left defenseless at a time when they need their firearms the most, when social order collapses into anarchy and protecting one’s self and one’s family is not simply a right and responsibility, it becomes a necessity.

That in mind, Sen. Levin must know that almost immediately after I wrote those remarks, I recanted and apologized to the millions of Americans who lawfully and responsibly own, compete with and hunt with semi-automatic rifles. I took a “crash course” on these firearms and visited with my good friend Ted Nugent on his ranch in Texas, where I personally shot an AR-15 and educated myself with these firearms.

Some of us learn from our mistakes, others keep making them. Legislation to which Sen. Levin alluded, HR 1022, would renew the ban on so-called “assault weapons,” and dangerously expand it to encompass far more perfectly legal firearms. For the Congress of the United States to even consider such legislation is an affront to every law-abiding firearms owner in this country.

This legislation that Sen. Levin appears to endorse is written so broadly as outlaw not only firearms, but accessories, including a folding stock for a Ruger rifle. As I understand the language of this bill, it could ultimately take away my timeworn and cherished hunting rifles and shotguns – firearms I hope to one day pass on to my grandchildren – as well as millions of identical and similar firearms owned by other American citizens.

It is clear to me that the supporters of this legislation don’t want to stop criminals. They want to invent new ones out of people like me, and many of you, and your constituents, friends, neighbors and members of your families. They will do anything they can, go to any extremes they believe necessary, to make it impossible for more and more American citizens to legally own any firearm.

In his final paragraph, Senator Levin misrepresents what I said. I never spoke in favor of a general assault weapons ban. Again, I immediately apologized for my blog statement that was exclusively directed toward hunting and not gun ownership.

I will not allow my name to be associated with this kind of attack on the Second Amendment rights of my fellow citizens.

A few weeks ago, in a letter to Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, I promised to educate my fellow hunters about this insidious legislation “even if I have to visit every hunting camp and climb into every duck blind and deer stand in this country to get it done.”

I will amend that to add that I will bring my effort to Capitol Hill if necessary, even if I have to knock on every door and camp in every office of the United States Senate. In promoting this ban, the Hon. Carl Levin does not speak for me, or anybody I know.

Sincerely,
James Zumbo
Cody, Wyoming

[NineseveN]

Good letter...appropriate and spot on given the circumstances.

[danp]

Looks like he's trying to repair his damaged reputation. I'm willing to give him a second chance as long as it's based on actions not words. Hopefully something good can come out of the mess he created.

[BUCKMARK]

Originally Posted by danp

Looks like he's trying to repair his damaged reputation. I'm willing to give him a second chance as long as it's based on actions not words. Hopefully something good can come out of the mess he created.

Along with many of you, I was one of the first people to put my foot on Zumbo's throat.

I was one of those guys that wanted him to STFU and "just go away".

But since that damage was done, I learned of the anti's using his original words against us. By going away, Zumbo allows them to bash us with his anti-gun blog. By writing letters like these he repairs the damage little by little.

There is no doubt that Zumbo's blog knocked him from the top of the pro-gun ladder. Now he needs to start over again. IMHO, with this letter he just climbed one rung up from the bottom.

[roland]

A few weeks ago, in a letter to Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, I promised to educate my fellow hunters about this insidious legislation “even if I have to visit every hunting camp and climb into every duck blind and deer stand in this country to get it done.”

I will amend that to add that I will bring my effort to Capitol Hill if necessary, even if I have to knock on every door and camp in every office of the United States Senate. In promoting this ban, the Hon. Carl Levin does not speak for me, or anybody I know.



Sounds like something a writer would say.

[LittleRedToyota]

i know i should prolly give old dumbo a second chance...but i just can't...at least not yet.

i'm not sure how you can classify what he wrote as a "mistake". i mean what happened, his finger accidentally hit the wrong keys as he was typing? did he accidentally suffer from temporary insanity? did he accidentally misread the 2nd amendment?

even in his "apology", he only apologizes because he suddenly realizes the AR15 can be a good hunting rifle...talk about totally missing the point.

i think he is sorry he alienated remington and so many of his readers...i think that is what he is referring to by his "mistake".

i don't think he gets it any more now than he did when he called the AR15 a "terrorist rifle".

[Uni_Ownr]

With all this said, I think Jim Zumbo has a long row to hoe, one that I think will never be completed before he is dead. Like I said in another former post of mine: "He just defecated in his own oatmeal."

[PA Rifleman]

Originally Posted by roland

A few weeks ago, in a letter to Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, I promised to educate my fellow hunters about this insidious legislation “even if I have to visit every hunting camp and climb into every duck blind and deer stand in this country to get it done.”

I will amend that to add that I will bring my effort to Capitol Hill if necessary, even if I have to knock on every door and camp in every office of the United States Senate. In promoting this ban, the Hon. Carl Levin does not speak for me, or anybody I know.

Sounds like something a writer would say.

Given Zumbo's position, what would you have written?

[JayBell]

thing is with Zumbo, one doesn't merely snap to a new way of thinking like this.

I'd like to think he means what he says about changing his mind on the "terrorist rifle" issue, but it's pretty clear he literally spoke his mind when he wrote the original blog article, not having any idea the absolute s***storm he'd unleash, from avid shooters, and hunting sportsmen alike.

at this point, he's literally still trying to save his butt, and it comes as sounding way less sincere than his original statement.

it also angers me that the socialist gun banners have used this to divide us on all sides of the issue, including trying to blame the NRA for the "backlash".

the NRA didn't pop into action til almost a week after the initial comments, the incredible outpouring of anger came from individuals who felt betrayed by his comments.

I respect Col. Cooper also, but near the end of his life, his ramblings got more and more disconnected with reality, and he started preaching on subjects he had no firsthand info about, from M16s to 50cal rifles.

Peter Kokalis,m who was a oongtime writer for SOF Mag, and later became the editor in chief of Small Arms review got some serious flak about his comments on civilian MG owners.
Said they were all sitting arond on hemmorhoid cushioned lawnchairs shooting beltfeds at nothing.
Complained about lack of tactics and such at fun shoots.
Based all his comments on "as you train, so shall you fight"

Didn't understand that to most MG folks, thier MG is a TOY, like a muscle car that sometimes breaks the speed limit on highways, btu never gets taken to the track.

they aren't training, they are having fun with it.
Long wild huge betamag dumps.
hundreds of round belts shooting at cars, and explosives, etc.
Melting barrels and gas tubes, consuming cases of ammo because its just. so. fun!
They never plan on using it in combat. Would never think of throwing it in the mud, and rocks, or water, not going to low crawl across a desrt to shoot at a specific set of targets.

In making the various disparaging comments, he REALLY pissed off the civvie MG owner population because he could not merely understand that the shooters are shooting for fun, not in small attack squad training.

In doing so, he lost a whole set of folks that would normally have taken his advice, worked with his experience, and appreciated his knowledge.

Some of these old time guys either need to keep up with whats going on with weapons tech, and other things, or fold up thier chair and retire.

It's a shame either way.

Engage brain before opening mouth

[Mtbkski]

Yep, and I bet he didn't inhale either.

Sorry Jim, but I won't let you off that easy.

The Anti-Gunners are having a field day using what he wrote (Check out the Brady Site. He was front page news). It was public record, he had it printed for all to read. He bad mouthed those that pay his bills.

If I opened my mouth. And lost my job. All my sponsers. And my major source of income. If I realized that I had insulted all the people that I am suppose to representing and who pay my bills every week. Well, I think I would tuck my tail and say anything to get back onto everyone's good side.

Like someone said before. He said it out loud. He wrote it down. And he meant it when he said it. You don't say something like that by accident.

My trust in him will be very slow in coming back.