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Jim Zumbo's article against Long Range Hunting
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<blockquote data-quote="ExpiredMember2019" data-source="post: 142024" data-attributes="member: 5849"><p><strong>Re: Jim Zumbo\'s article against Long Range Hunting</strong></p><p></p><p>The Jim Zumbo controversy is really taking off on websites of all kinds. It's one thing for Zumbo to bash long range hunting. It's another thing altogether for him to call for more government intervention in hunting and the banning of rifles he doesn't like. Here is the email I sent today. I sent this and several similar emails to all of his sponsors.</p><p></p><p><em>Dear Remington and Mr. Jim Zumbo:</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>I am writing about the recent blog entry that Mr. Zumbo wrote entitled, "Assault Rifles For Hunters?" Please see: <a href="http://outdoorlife.blogs.com/zumbo/2007/02/assault_rifles_.html#comment-60817318" target="_blank">http://outdoorlife.blogs.com/zumbo/2007/02/assault_rifles_.html#comment-60817318</a> Mr. Zumbo is sponsored by Remington and specifically names Mr. Eddie Stevenson and Mr. Greg Dennison in his blog entry where he refers to AR-15 style rifles as "terrorist rifles" and decries their use in hunting. The Remington ad which says, "This is Remington Country," appears directly above Mr. Zumbo's blog entry.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>I am writing as an avid hunter who grew up on a working ranch in the Big Bend area of Texas. I am currently employed as a full time police officer for a large municipal police department in a major city in Texas. I have worked in Patrol for 11 years and on SWAT for 8 years. I am also a Patrol Rifle instructor and a Precision Rifle instructor. As part of my duties at my department, I train my fellow police officers how to shoot rifles, pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, and precision rifles. Finally, I am also a fairly successful competitive shooter in USPSA and 3-Gun Matches. I use Remington rifles exclusively for my precision and hunting rifle needs.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Mr. Zumbo, your characterization of the AR-15, AK-47 and those who use them is flat wrong, sir, and you have done a great disservice to thousands of legitimate and ethical hunters as well as hundreds of thousands of police officers, soldiers, and citizens. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The AR-15 platform is being used by many ethical hunters for the legal taking of game from rockchucks to elk. There are many different calibers available for this system ranging from the .223 all the way through .308, very powerful .30 caliber cartridges, and .50 Beowulf. I have personally used an AR-15 for the hunting of feral hogs and it worked quite well.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The SKS and AK-47 type of rifles are regularly used by honest, ethical hunters for hunting whitetails, hogs, and other medium game. I have also used one of these rifles for hunting. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The funny thing, Mr. Zumbo, is that I never thought of myself as a terrorist and I never once considered that I was using a "terrorist rifle." I and many of my friends and colleagues have used military-style, magazine fed rifles during the discharge of our official duties as police officers and soldiers. Many of these same men have used similar rifles for the legal taking of game. All of us continue to train and stand ready to fight terrorists right here in the United States with those same rifles that you mention in your blog.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Those who would outlaw hunting and disarm the American people already have their sights set on bolt action rifles. Their efforts will not stop at banning the .50 BMG or so-called "sniper rifles." The elk hunter's .300 Win Mag is perfectly able to be used by any terrorist. As you know, there are plenty of hunting rifles that can send a projectile through body armor at more than 1/2 mile away. I'll bet that some of your own elk rifles will do that and more. Yet I would never, ever, believe that your rifle is a "terrorist rifle" despite the fact that terrorists are in fact using bolt action rifles against our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Personally, I am eagerly awaiting the release of Remington's new .338 Lapua which I intend to purchase and use for extreme long range shooting. The same people who would ban the AR-15 and AK-47 will certainly want to ban this rifle because of the cartridge's extreme performance and military origins. To be sure, this would not be a good thing for Remington.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>What concerns me most about your article is not the overt ignorance you display but rather the fact that your rhetoric is exactly what anti-hunters and anti-gun types will use to support their own causes. They love it when "legitimate" hunters decry the use of semi-automatic rifles and they positively squeal with delight when someone with your credentials supports any kind of government control or banning of such rifles. These same people will also one day seek to ban the "sniper rifles" that your yourself currently possess in your "arsenal," Mr. Zumbo</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Mr. Zumbo, I once had a great deal of respect for you and even read your book(s) when I first started elk hunting. I also had a subscription to Outdoor Life magazine which I allowed to lapse but I was intending to renew it. I will not purchase any of your books in the future nor will I watch your T.V. show. I will not renew my subscription to Outdoor Life until you are removed from the staff of that magazine or until your apology to all gun owners, police officers, soldiers, and hunters (specifically those of us who regularly use AR-15's and other semi-automatic rifles for legal and ethical purposes) is printed in both the magazine and online. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Since writing the paragraphs above, I have spoken to Mr. Zumbo on the phone about this issue and he stated that he intends to issue a formal apology for his blog entry. During our telephone conversation, he said, "I had no idea how many people use AR-15's for hunting." He said that Ted Nugent had just called to invite him to his ranch here in Texas to hunt with an AR-15. Mr. Zumbo did issue a verbal apology to me on the phone. Still, what concerns me is that he seems more worried about the public backlash and the fact that he was caught in a major mistake. I am not convinced that he has suddenly changed his opinion. I am nowhere near as accomplished a hunter as Mr. Zumbo and yet I knew quite a bit about the use of both the AR and AK platforms for legitimate, legal hunting. How is it that a man of Mr. Zumbo's experience and reputation did not also know this? I believe that what we saw on his blog was his true opinion and his true feelings on AR's and AK's. It is my firm belief that his apologies will be based only on his fear of losing his existing contracts, sponsorships, and assignments. The damage has been done. As one of my close friends who is a sponsored competitive shooter just told me on the phone, "That's just like that politician who got caught using the 'N word' telling everyone he didn't really mean it."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Remington produces some of the finest rifles in the world. I have used my Remington 700's for SWAT sniper activities, hunting, and F-Class matches. When I purchased my last two rifles, I had to choose between a Sako, Winchester, Accuracy International or Remington 700. I went with Remington out of a sense of loyalty and because the Remington 700 was a "known quantity" that I could work with and customize for my hunting and tactical needs. Remington is employing a man who has just openly trashed my rights as a private citizen, my ethical choice of rifles for hog hunting, and my choice of duty rifle as a police officer. If Remington persists in employing this man, I cannot say how much further my loyalty will carry me. As a precision rifle shooter and instructor, I cannot help but point out that there are many other manufacturers of precision bolt action rifles out there who can serve my needs without denigrating me and thousands of other shooters. I sincerely hope that Remington will do the right thing in this matter. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Sincerely yours,</em></p><p><em>Douglas Deaton</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ExpiredMember2019, post: 142024, member: 5849"] [b]Re: Jim Zumbo\'s article against Long Range Hunting[/b] The Jim Zumbo controversy is really taking off on websites of all kinds. It's one thing for Zumbo to bash long range hunting. It's another thing altogether for him to call for more government intervention in hunting and the banning of rifles he doesn't like. Here is the email I sent today. I sent this and several similar emails to all of his sponsors. [i]Dear Remington and Mr. Jim Zumbo: I am writing about the recent blog entry that Mr. Zumbo wrote entitled, “Assault Rifles For Hunters?” Please see: [url="http://outdoorlife.blogs.com/zumbo/2007/02/assault_rifles_.html#comment-60817318"]http://outdoorlife.blogs.com/zumbo/2007/02/assault_rifles_.html#comment-60817318[/url] Mr. Zumbo is sponsored by Remington and specifically names Mr. Eddie Stevenson and Mr. Greg Dennison in his blog entry where he refers to AR-15 style rifles as “terrorist rifles” and decries their use in hunting. The Remington ad which says, “This is Remington Country,” appears directly above Mr. Zumbo’s blog entry. I am writing as an avid hunter who grew up on a working ranch in the Big Bend area of Texas. I am currently employed as a full time police officer for a large municipal police department in a major city in Texas. I have worked in Patrol for 11 years and on SWAT for 8 years. I am also a Patrol Rifle instructor and a Precision Rifle instructor. As part of my duties at my department, I train my fellow police officers how to shoot rifles, pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, and precision rifles. Finally, I am also a fairly successful competitive shooter in USPSA and 3-Gun Matches. I use Remington rifles exclusively for my precision and hunting rifle needs. Mr. Zumbo, your characterization of the AR-15, AK-47 and those who use them is flat wrong, sir, and you have done a great disservice to thousands of legitimate and ethical hunters as well as hundreds of thousands of police officers, soldiers, and citizens. The AR-15 platform is being used by many ethical hunters for the legal taking of game from rockchucks to elk. There are many different calibers available for this system ranging from the .223 all the way through .308, very powerful .30 caliber cartridges, and .50 Beowulf. I have personally used an AR-15 for the hunting of feral hogs and it worked quite well. The SKS and AK-47 type of rifles are regularly used by honest, ethical hunters for hunting whitetails, hogs, and other medium game. I have also used one of these rifles for hunting. The funny thing, Mr. Zumbo, is that I never thought of myself as a terrorist and I never once considered that I was using a "terrorist rifle." I and many of my friends and colleagues have used military-style, magazine fed rifles during the discharge of our official duties as police officers and soldiers. Many of these same men have used similar rifles for the legal taking of game. All of us continue to train and stand ready to fight terrorists right here in the United States with those same rifles that you mention in your blog. Those who would outlaw hunting and disarm the American people already have their sights set on bolt action rifles. Their efforts will not stop at banning the .50 BMG or so-called "sniper rifles." The elk hunter's .300 Win Mag is perfectly able to be used by any terrorist. As you know, there are plenty of hunting rifles that can send a projectile through body armor at more than 1/2 mile away. I'll bet that some of your own elk rifles will do that and more. Yet I would never, ever, believe that your rifle is a "terrorist rifle" despite the fact that terrorists are in fact using bolt action rifles against our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Personally, I am eagerly awaiting the release of Remington’s new .338 Lapua which I intend to purchase and use for extreme long range shooting. The same people who would ban the AR-15 and AK-47 will certainly want to ban this rifle because of the cartridge’s extreme performance and military origins. To be sure, this would not be a good thing for Remington. What concerns me most about your article is not the overt ignorance you display but rather the fact that your rhetoric is exactly what anti-hunters and anti-gun types will use to support their own causes. They love it when "legitimate" hunters decry the use of semi-automatic rifles and they positively squeal with delight when someone with your credentials supports any kind of government control or banning of such rifles. These same people will also one day seek to ban the "sniper rifles" that your yourself currently possess in your "arsenal," Mr. Zumbo Mr. Zumbo, I once had a great deal of respect for you and even read your book(s) when I first started elk hunting. I also had a subscription to Outdoor Life magazine which I allowed to lapse but I was intending to renew it. I will not purchase any of your books in the future nor will I watch your T.V. show. I will not renew my subscription to Outdoor Life until you are removed from the staff of that magazine or until your apology to all gun owners, police officers, soldiers, and hunters (specifically those of us who regularly use AR-15's and other semi-automatic rifles for legal and ethical purposes) is printed in both the magazine and online. Since writing the paragraphs above, I have spoken to Mr. Zumbo on the phone about this issue and he stated that he intends to issue a formal apology for his blog entry. During our telephone conversation, he said, “I had no idea how many people use AR-15’s for hunting.” He said that Ted Nugent had just called to invite him to his ranch here in Texas to hunt with an AR-15. Mr. Zumbo did issue a verbal apology to me on the phone. Still, what concerns me is that he seems more worried about the public backlash and the fact that he was caught in a major mistake. I am not convinced that he has suddenly changed his opinion. I am nowhere near as accomplished a hunter as Mr. Zumbo and yet I knew quite a bit about the use of both the AR and AK platforms for legitimate, legal hunting. How is it that a man of Mr. Zumbo’s experience and reputation did not also know this? I believe that what we saw on his blog was his true opinion and his true feelings on AR’s and AK’s. It is my firm belief that his apologies will be based only on his fear of losing his existing contracts, sponsorships, and assignments. The damage has been done. As one of my close friends who is a sponsored competitive shooter just told me on the phone, “That’s just like that politician who got caught using the ‘N word’ telling everyone he didn’t really mean it.” Remington produces some of the finest rifles in the world. I have used my Remington 700’s for SWAT sniper activities, hunting, and F-Class matches. When I purchased my last two rifles, I had to choose between a Sako, Winchester, Accuracy International or Remington 700. I went with Remington out of a sense of loyalty and because the Remington 700 was a “known quantity” that I could work with and customize for my hunting and tactical needs. Remington is employing a man who has just openly trashed my rights as a private citizen, my ethical choice of rifles for hog hunting, and my choice of duty rifle as a police officer. If Remington persists in employing this man, I cannot say how much further my loyalty will carry me. As a precision rifle shooter and instructor, I cannot help but point out that there are many other manufacturers of precision bolt action rifles out there who can serve my needs without denigrating me and thousands of other shooters. I sincerely hope that Remington will do the right thing in this matter. Sincerely yours, Douglas Deaton[/i] [/QUOTE]
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