Just reprinting this may bring some loonies out of their spider holes. I will say that I understand the outrage caused by the use of the word “terrorist” (the new “socialist/communist”). I’m also suspicious when one person defines what’s “right” for others. Finally, you gotta be nuts to argue with people with guns. mjh

NRA Destroys Long-time Friend By Bill Schneider, 2-26-07, New West Network

Jim Zumbo [the most well-known and influential hunting writer in all of America] unintentionally caused his sudden retirement by making this comment:

“I must be living in a vacuum. The guides on our hunt tell me that the use of AR and AK rifles have a rapidly growing following among hunters, especially prairie dog hunters [mjh: you need serious stopping power for prairie dogs]. I had no clue. Only once in my life have I ever seen anyone using one of these firearms.

“I call them ‘assault’ rifles, which may upset some people. Excuse me, maybe I’m a traditionalist, but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity. I’ll go so far as to call them ‘terrorist’ rifles. [mjh: uh-oh]

“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.’”

Immedately following the posting, Remington Arms severed all ties with Zumbo; Outdoor Life fired him; and the Outdoor Channel canceled his weekly Jim Zumbo Outdoors program because sponsors (Remington, Cabela’s, Mossy Oak and others) pulled their ads. …

Some outdoor writers came to Zumbo’s defense such as Tony Dean of South Dakota and Pat Wray of Oregon, but most were apprehensive about entering the flay. The message was clear. Say the one word the gun rights snipers don’t like, and the only job you can get is greeting people at Wal-Mart.

Wray, who writes for the Corvallis Gazette Times said it best in his February 24 commentary: “Something very strange happened in the world of outdoor communication this week. One of America’s best known hunting writers slipped and metaphorically cut himself, so a few thousand of his closest friends ate him alive.”

In his column, Wray blamed the NRA for the overreaction. And when I looked on the NRA’s website, the gun group actually boasted about the destruction of Zumbo’s career as an example of what happens when somebody crosses them.

“The ensuing wave of grassroots response in support of the Second Amendment is a clear indication that America’s gun owners will act swiftly and decisively to counter falsehoods or misrepresentations perpetuated by any member of the media – whether it is one of the major networks or a fellow gun owner,” the NRA stated in its release severing all ties with Zumbo. “It is our hope that Mr. Zumbo will use his energy and talent to help preserve our Second Amendment, America’s First Freedom, by ensuring that no one else falls prey to the tragic demonization of gun owners.”

Wray called the owners of military-style rifles “a crowd of vicious, vengeful, vitriolic jackals” and blames the NRA making them so. “For decades the NRA has fostered a climate of fear and paranoia among gun owners. They have hammered home the message that everyone is out to take our guns and that compromise is tantamount to treason. They created an attitude within their membership that anyone who disagreed was an enemy and the best defense was a good offense.”

I see this whole affair as chilling, because, as I remember it, the Second Amendment comes right after the First Amendment. … Where is the outrage from millions of hunters who agree with every word Zumbo posted on his blog? Where are the thousands of emails to Remington, Outdoor Life or the Outdoor Channel from hunters who wouldn’t be caught dead hunting with an assault rifle? Why aren’t they coming to Zumbo’s defense?