It seems that Zumbo's fall from grace is just about complete. Remington, with commendable alacrity, was the first to stand on principle, and sever ties with him. Hi Mountain Seasonings was not far behind. Outdoor Life, after some initial beating around the bush, has followed suit, as has Gerber (of the multi-tools and knives--not the baby food). Cabela's is also apparently getting with the program.
My biggest concern, though, was the NRA, with whom he has had some ties, as a writer for Shooting Illustrated, and as part of the Great American Hunters Tour. The NRA was slow to address the situation, but have finally acknowledged that they cannot claim to be protectors of the Second Amendment, while at the same time maintaining ties with someone who has so recently and publicly attacked it.
Ending the corporate sponsorship was important, but it was my belief that the most important element was the dissolution of the NRA's ties to a man who had very publicly undermined a fundamental part of the NRA's stated mission. I applaud the NRA for (eventually) taking that step.
Zumbo, with Ted Nugent's support, is trying to repair the damage he's caused. I'm a bit skeptical about how well that will work, but if he helps bridge the long-standing rift between people whose only interest in firearms is sport, and those who, like St. George Tucker, consider the keeping of arms to be the "palladium of liberty," this entire sordid mess could end with gun owners being stronger than before. Even absent that, one positive outcome that does seem to have happened is that the "black rifle" enthusiasts have spoken, and folks are finding out that they have a pretty loud, powerful voice.
Then again, I'm something of a cockeyed optimist.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Zumbo's sponsors retreating at top speed
Stumble it!
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13 comments:
Zumbo will need to be buying his own guns and ammo and hunting on public land from now on, just like the rest of us. Too bad!
BTW, am I the only one that has a problem with your blog template pushing your right sidebar all the way below the center section?
"BTW, am I the only one that has a problem with your blog template pushing your right sidebar all the way below the center section?"
Hmm . . . I was afraid of that. It doesn't do it on either of my computers at home, but it does on the computers at school. Sorry about that. I'll see if I can figure it out. The problem is that I'm an absolute nincompoop when it comes to working with HTML code.
I'm glad the NRA finally came around on the Zumbo issue. Next time, however, something comes up likes this, I hope they take the lead and not hold a moistened finger up to the wind as with this incident.
DAL357
Agreed, Dal--they definitely spend a great deal of time and energy trying not to offend anybody.
Nate, if you happen to come back here again, do me a favor, please, and let me know if the problem you mentioned is fixed now. Thanks.
The fact that Zumbo is a hunter means merely that he uses similar tools to those used by 2d Amendment supporters. Just as criminals and 2d Amendment supporters are not the same, just because they may both possess weapons, and thus they are not all members of the same interest group. In fact, most 2d Amendment supporters are primarily interested in defense of self, family, and country. Zumbo, though, has expressed no such interest. In other words, weapon owners can still be completely different "species" who happen to use the same tools. What Zumbo did wrong was to malign members of a group of which he is not a part. In that sense, he is, indeed, no different from any other bigot or Brady supporter. He need counseling.
Exactly, '57. My hope is that he will "see the light" (I'm still not convinced that that has happened yet), and help to reform the thinking of other "hunting is the only legitimate use for guns" hunters. Failing that, he has certainly provided a nice example of what happens to a "gun writer" who messes up in the way he did. Actually, this debacle gave gun owners a chance to flex their economic muscles, and the effects were rather impressive, I thought.
Judging by the nature of Zumbo's initial comments, I highly doubt he will ever empathize with owners of defense weaponry. In fact, his point was that our interests are hurting his cause--hunting. I believe many hunters, especially older, well-to-do ones, feel the same way, which is likely why Zumbo felt free to make the untoward comments in the first place. Regrettably, the sport of hunting appears to be on the wane in this land, to put it mildly. Yet, the numbers of gun owners is on the rise. Most likely those in the business community, like Remington, are being forced to choose sides on this particular issue (i.e., the right to possess military-style weapons). It is nice to see whose side they've chosen in the instant skirmish.
It is sad, though, that those hunters who hold the views expressed by Zumbo fail to see that, eventually, the gun banners will come for their tools, too. Guess they simply can't see beyond the fog of their self-interests. Zumbo, though, already admitted he was willing to toss us to the wolves to protect his own livelihood. And now that he's actually has lost his paycheck because we've fought to protect our interests, I'd be shocked to see him come over to our side. More likely he'll grow old seeping in a stew of bitterness, sitting around telling anyone who'll listen how a bunch of gun nuts are ruining his country.
That is certainly his prerogative. "The Nuge" says it won't happen--and I hope it doesn't--but I share your doubts.
The really sad part for me, personally, is that I got half my DNA from someone whose views are similar. My Dad doesn't miss a deer or turkey hunt, but would have no compunction about throwing so-called "assault weapons," and .50 caliber rifles (he watches 60 Minutes) under the civilian disarmament bus.
"The really sad part for me, personally, is that I got half my DNA from someone whose views are similar. My Dad doesn't miss a deer or turkey hunt, but would have no compunction about throwing so-called 'assault weapons,' and .50 caliber rifles (he watches 60 Minutes) under the civilian disarmament bus."
Wait a sec. ... his name isn't "Richard," is it? 'Cause that's my dad you're describing!
My long lost brother! Nah--I guess there are simply more fuddites than I'd thought.
When Zumbo calculated the financial harm he has done himself, do not be surprised to see him surface on the other side for money.
Someone will meet his price and then parade him as a "former gun nut" who has seen the light.
I just don't believe a man with any character at all could have written about guns and hunting for 42 years and didn't stumble upon the truth even accidentally. I could understand how a seasonal hunter might remain ignorant, but not if he wrote and worked in the field for 42 years 365 days a year.
I really do expect we will Zumbo shilling for the gun banners within 6 months.
I hope I am wrong.
Well, I hope you're wrong, too, SA--but acknowledge that you may be right. Time will tell. Hopefully someone will remind him that his "sniper rifles" will be on the chopping block as soon as they get our homeland security rifles and our handguns.
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