The tale of Jim Zumbo, late of the hook-and-bullet rag “Outdoor Life,” has flowed onto the pages of The Washington Post. Fly here to read Blaine Harden’s report on Zumbo’s blog remarks and his subsequent firing from the gutless NRA-chummy “Outdoor Life” — a magazine where boring readers comes first and caving into NRA-sponsored pressure is a close second.
Just for the fun of it, you can read the magazine’s cop-out piece right here.
Then, zip over here to read a careful overview of the controversy that Mark Henckel wrote for The Billings (Mont.) Gazette. And to read an on-going thread about the free-speech debacle, check out Ted Williams’ blog here.
What’s Zumbo’s “crime” as perceived by the gun mafia? Having the guts to note, on his “Outdoor Life” blog, that assault rifles have no place in fair-chase hunting, referring to certain firearms as “terrorist” rifles that don’t belong in a true outdoorsman’s hands.
Zumbo, in part, said this:
“Sorry, folks, in my humble opinion, these things have no place in hunting. We don’t need to be lumped into the group of people who terrorize the world with them, which is an obvious concern. I’ve always been comfortable with the statement that hunters don’t use assault rifles. We’ve always been proud of our ’sporting firearms.’”
“Outdoor Life” consistently points out its steadfast support for the Second Amendment. But guess what? It just trashed the First Amendment.
February 25, 2007 at 12:47 pm |
This is just sickening, especially watching the NRA so gleefully flex their muscles and “make an example” of Zumbo. They are powerful, no doubt about that, I just wonder if their constituents will ever see through the cynicism and recognize the organization for who it really serves…
February 27, 2007 at 9:26 pm |
Read Wild Bill’s finely crafted essay on this at http://www.newwest.net/index.php/topic/article/zumbo_affair_nra_takes_no_prisoners/C41/L41/
February 28, 2007 at 10:57 am |
This commenter, “mike,” in the New West thread said just what I was thinking:
“Power corrupts and the NRA’s power has made it a sick and twisted organization. The only silver lining in this story, if there is one, is that evil eventually always overreaches itself, eats its own young, and thereby destroys itself from the inside out and, if these socalled hunters and shooters turning on Jim Zumbo isn’t a horrific example of this process in action, then I can’t imagine what would be. I can only hope that Zumbo survives this treachery, stronger and more influential than before, and remembers that revenge is dish best served cold. The NRA needs to be beaten back to where it now belongs, in the dark and sleezy shadows along with its sister institution, the KKK.”
February 28, 2007 at 5:48 pm |
The NRA has most certainly chosen to eat one of its own on this occasion. When will a majority of its members say enough is enough?
April 4, 2007 at 9:14 pm |
Hey Alan
Wake up. Go to Ted Nugent’s website and read up – try to gag down your disdain. By the way – how in the world can you call yourself objective when you call an outdoors magazine a “hook and bullet rag”.
April 6, 2007 at 8:47 am |
Because that’s what it is. And I never claimed “objectivity.” What’s your point?