ORIGINAL: Ruddyduck

Look Zumbo used a poor choice of words such as "assault " and "terrorist".
BUT NOWHERE DID HE SAY ANYONE DIDN"T HAVE THE RIGHT TO OWN AN AR OR AK et al.

He was trying to deal with the public image these weapons have on the general public. Maybe everyone forgets that hunting is not a right guaranteed in the bill of rights but is regulated wether we like it or not by the NON HUNTING majority and an increasingly Hostile to hunting and gun judges and politicians. That's the bottom line like it or not. Fish & Game Depts. good science can be and often are trumped by judges and politicions with there own agendas. Anybody recall a few bear & dove seasons that didn't happen?

ORIGINAL: alsaqr

Youneed towake up and realize that in the eyes of the uneducated and uninvolved that Dumbo is an "expert.'' "Expert" Zumbo just undid your whole life's work onSecond Amendment rights.He just undidthe life's work of thousands like you and i. That "expert" just called me a terrorist for owning a high capacity semi-automatic rifle that is much more accurate than any of the four guns Zumbo claims to own. i write to my elected officials at least monthly on the issue of Second Amendment rights.

Here in OK it does do some goodto write to these politicians. Nationally, no one has done anything for gun owners in decades-but i still write.

Wouldn't it be a glorious thing if they put that much energy into their elected officials?

ORIGINAL: longrifle1000

I just wish you people would go after your congresscritters the way you went after Zumbo. If you all did, the AWBII would have a much better chance at being beaten.

I'm sorry I didn't write Remington, Gerber, Cabela's, Himountain, or Swarovski pertaining to them sponsoring Zumbo. I was too busy writing and calling my elected politicians trying to squash the federal AWBII, AND the proposed AWB here in Illinois.

I guess it is just a matter of priorities.

ORIGINAL: eldeguello

I would, if any of my congresscritters were out in left field! And I'm keeping my eye on mine!

Ted Nugent had Jim Zumbo posting on his forum today.

"The last few days have been an educational experience, to say the least. My ill-conceived inflammatory blog, as all of you now know, set off a firestorm that, I’m told, has never before been equaled. I’m not proud of that. Let me say this at the outset. My words here are from the heart, and all mine. No one can censor me, and I answer to no one but myself. And I have no one to blame but myself. Outdoor Life, a magazine that I worked for full-time as Hunting Editor for almost 30 years, fired me yesterday. My TV show was cancelled yesterday. Many of my sponsors have issued statements on their website to sever all relationships. This may cause many of you to do backflips and dance in the streets, but, of course, I’m not laughing, nor am I looking for sympathy. I don’t want a pity party.

They say hindsight is golden. Looking back, I can’t believe I said the words “ban” and “terrorist” in the context that I did. I don’t know what I was thinking when I wrote that. I can explain this as sheer ignorance and an irresponsible use of words. What I’ve learned over the last few days has enlightened and amazed me. As a guy who hunts 200 days a year, does seminars on hunting, wrote for six hunting magazines, had a hunting TV show, and wrote 20 books on hunting, how could I have been so ignorant and out of touch with reality in the world of hunting and shooting?

But I was. I really can’t explain it, maybe because I just summarily dismissed the firearms in question in my mind when I saw them in magazines and catalogs. I saw one “black” firearm in a hunting camp in all my 50 years of hunting, and I shot one last year off a boat when fishing in Alaska. To tell the truth, it was fun and I enjoyed it immensely, but I never considered one for use in hunting. I have to tell you that I have had a revelation. I’m learning that many of my pals own AR-15’s and similar firearms and indeed use them for hunting. I was totally unaware that they were being used for legitimate hunting purposes. That is the absolute truth.

My biggest regret is not the financial impact of all this. I’m almost 67 and retirement is an option. The dreadful impact here is that I inadvertently struck a spear into the hearts of the people I love most…America’s gun owners. And, even though this huge cadre of dedicated people have succeeded in stripping me of my career, I hold no grudges. I will continue to stand as firm on pro hunting as I’ve ever done. But what’s different now is that I’ll do all I can to educate others who are, or were, as ignorant as I was about “black” rifles and the controversy that surrounds them. My promise to you is that I’ll learn all I can about these firearms, and by the time this week is out, I’ll order one. The NUGE has invited me to hunt with him using AR-15’s, and I’m eager to go, and learn. I’ll do all I can to spread the word.

I understand that many of you will not accept this apology, believing that the damage has been done and there’s no way to repair it. You have that right. But let me say this. I mentioned this above, and I’ll repeat it. I’m willing to seize this opportunity to educate hunters and shooters who shared my ignorance. If you’re willing to allow me to do that, we can indeed, in my mind, form a stronger bond within our ranks. Maybe in a roundabout way we can bring something good out of this."

Jim Zumbo