The cynic in me wonders how much this "born again gun nut" conversion of Zumbo's was motivated by "Oh shit! I have bills to pay and these kooks cost me my job and sponsors!" ;]
I'm trying my best to be charitable, Kev - I really am.
"the net result will be positive for the gun-rights side, I believe."
The net positive will be if this Zumbo Incident has a sobering effect on other gun writers and advocates - and politicians.
Time will indeed tell if Mr. Zumbo's apology was heartfelt and sincere. However, I think an issue nearly as important is if the gun culture will accept his apology and accept him back into the culture. If the attack articles and blog entries stop, it will signal the gun-haters that while we may turn on our own, we also stand ready to welcome them back into the fold with a forgiveness that they simply lack. I'm not saying forgiveness with immediate restoration. I am saying forgiveness that allows Mr. Zumbo to one day return to his former position.
It's a perfect start. Jim hit rock bottom and instead of playing the victim (and digging a little more) he is trying to climb out of the hole.
He could very, very well be the strongest voice we have, but it his actions that will determine that. He may very well unite the Hunters & the Shooters against their common foe.
I cannot believe he is not sincere. When you burn your hand on a hot stove, you're probably not saying ouch out of pride and planning on touching it again when you think nobody is looking.
Let's give Jim a chance here. I see enough positive possibility here to warrant that and very little to gain by not doing so.
Actually, word is that at 67 he was already set up to retire, but since his job was hunting at prime spots around the world and then talking about it he had no reason to.
He could very easily have just crawled off into a hole and pulled it in after him.
Instead he's out there at the various Outdoor and Hunting shows spreading the word.
Like Robb Allen said, when you put your hand on something you didn't know was burning hot it may take a minute to figure out what happened but a responsible person moves along. Mr. Zumbo is moving along and I'm very hopeful he'll get back in 'our' good graces within a year or so.
We DO need *someone* as a keystone to bridge the gap in the arch, and we need an effort to unite hunters and shooters - someone/somehow to get-through to the elitist Petzel-types.
We also need to "activate" guys like Ed with a big HELLO-HELLO?!? The inactive, inert, and self-focused hobbyist guys who just nodd their head and go "uh-huh, I know, I know," but don't respond when seriously bad shit is going down.
I lean towards the forgiveness end of the spectrum. He appears genuine in his appology. As many have said, time will tell if he publicly works to ensure that hunters, in particular, become educated about the SA, and that it's much more important than being able to take a deer.
3P, Honestly after reading that drivel I can't believe the homeless guy downtown who asks pigeons for their views on the government's plot to hide the moon while drinking his own urine could even buy into their "logic".
I'm not sure they're as powerful as we think. I think most Americans hear "assault weapon" and think M-60 or Mini-Gun. If most Americans knew the truth, the Brady Campaign would be relegated to buying ad space off of this guy to hit their target audience.
Groups like the Brady Bunch still have influence because they have money. Like Kevin's pointed out numerous times, it's not the "grass roots" who financially support them (unlike the NRA,GAO,SAF, et al) but corporations and various multimillionares like the Joyce Foundation, Soros, Kennedy's, Kerry', etc. That alone can keep the advertising out their and the lobbyists financed. Look at the BC's front page. It has a direct threat against a MD congressman to get him out of office if he doesn't vote for the new AWB. W/ the blatant lying thier advertisements contain (they have links), it could sway the public.
I've been at this a long time, KCSteve. I was reading and buying gun magazines when I was seven: since 1967, that would be.
As Tam pointed out elsewhere, and Kev quoted up above, Zumbo's not the first gun writer to write an anti-2nd Ammendment screed on "unpopular guns". Quite a few of those have made it into mainstream gun magazines over the years.
As Tam pointed out, the only real difference here is that Zumbo got nailed to a cross for it today. Thirty years ago, he wouldn't have.
I don't have a beef with the man. I haven't been making anti-Zumbo blog posts, nor prowling the blog comment roud on a "Crucify heem!" crusade. ;) If he's for real on his conversion and on making ammends - kewl: good on him. I'm skeptical. Wah. It's an earned skepticism. I'll be happy if I'm wrong.
If he's not and my skepticism is right? Wah. He won't be the first. I'll note it in passing on a "Din't really expect any better" vein, and move on.
My views on Kev's post are specfic: This *only* will have a positive net result for the gun-rights side if the example makes a Rudy Guilianni or a Wayne LaPierre think thrice before they jump to endorse the next compromise. It'll only have a net positive if it makes other gun writers pause to think there might be something more to this "2nd Ammendment thang" than "sporting porpoises". It'll only have a net positive if it causes gun-rights advocates push their fair-wind "allies" as hard as they did Zumbo.
It don't, *shrug*, then it's a freaking waste: a man's lifetime career acheivements were shat on for nothing. Might as well have left him be, and let it ride.
If gun owners are as quick to hold a politician's or an NRA lobbyist's feet to the fire and nail them to the wall for stabbing us in the back as they were a haples old man, then I'll be impressed.
If not... I'll note it in passing on a "Din't really expect any better" vein, and move on. *snork* ;]
Note:
All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost;
references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>
JS-Kit/Echo comments for article at http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2007/03/apology-accepted-mr.html (11 comments)
Tentative mapping of comments to original article, corrections solicited.
The cynic in me wonders how much this "born again gun nut" conversion of Zumbo's was motivated by "Oh shit! I have bills to pay and these kooks cost me my job and sponsors!" ;]
I'm trying my best to be charitable, Kev - I really am.
"the net result will be positive for the gun-rights side, I believe."
The net positive will be if this Zumbo Incident has a sobering effect on other gun writers and advocates - and politicians.
Only time will tell on that.
Time will indeed tell if Mr. Zumbo's apology was heartfelt and sincere. However, I think an issue nearly as important is if the gun culture will accept his apology and accept him back into the culture. If the attack articles and blog entries stop, it will signal the gun-haters that while we may turn on our own, we also stand ready to welcome them back into the fold with a forgiveness that they simply lack. I'm not saying forgiveness with immediate restoration. I am saying forgiveness that allows Mr. Zumbo to one day return to his former position.
It's a perfect start. Jim hit rock bottom and instead of playing the victim (and digging a little more) he is trying to climb out of the hole.
He could very, very well be the strongest voice we have, but it his actions that will determine that. He may very well unite the Hunters & the Shooters against their common foe.
I cannot believe he is not sincere. When you burn your hand on a hot stove, you're probably not saying ouch out of pride and planning on touching it again when you think nobody is looking.
Let's give Jim a chance here. I see enough positive possibility here to warrant that and very little to gain by not doing so.
Ironbear
Actually, word is that at 67 he was already set up to retire, but since his job was hunting at prime spots around the world and then talking about it he had no reason to.
He could very easily have just crawled off into a hole and pulled it in after him.
Instead he's out there at the various Outdoor and Hunting shows spreading the word.
Like Robb Allen said, when you put your hand on something you didn't know was burning hot it may take a minute to figure out what happened but a responsible person moves along. Mr. Zumbo is moving along and I'm very hopeful he'll get back in 'our' good graces within a year or so.
We DO need *someone* as a keystone to bridge the gap in the arch, and we need an effort to unite hunters and shooters - someone/somehow to get-through to the elitist Petzel-types.
We also need to "activate" guys like Ed with a big HELLO-HELLO?!? The inactive, inert, and self-focused hobbyist guys who just nodd their head and go "uh-huh, I know, I know," but don't respond when seriously bad shit is going down.
I lean towards the forgiveness end of the spectrum. He appears genuine in his appology. As many have said, time will tell if he publicly works to ensure that hunters, in particular, become educated about the SA, and that it's much more important than being able to take a deer.
And now we just need to work to contain the fires that are still being started.
http://www.bradycampaign.org/blog/2007/03/06/
I've posted Jim's recent blog at least three times.
3P, Honestly after reading that drivel I can't believe the homeless guy downtown who asks pigeons for their views on the government's plot to hide the moon while drinking his own urine could even buy into their "logic".
I'm not sure they're as powerful as we think. I think most Americans hear "assault weapon" and think M-60 or Mini-Gun. If most Americans knew the truth, the Brady Campaign would be relegated to buying ad space off of this guy to hit their target audience.
Groups like the Brady Bunch still have influence because they have money. Like Kevin's pointed out numerous times, it's not the "grass roots" who financially support them (unlike the NRA,GAO,SAF, et al) but corporations and various multimillionares like the Joyce Foundation, Soros, Kennedy's, Kerry', etc. That alone can keep the advertising out their and the lobbyists financed. Look at the BC's front page. It has a direct threat against a MD congressman to get him out of office if he doesn't vote for the new AWB. W/ the blatant lying thier advertisements contain (they have links), it could sway the public.
ANd just to emphasize my point, the BC president is putting $500K of his money into the effort to ban all firearms.
We'll see, KC.
I've been at this a long time, KCSteve. I was reading and buying gun magazines when I was seven: since 1967, that would be.
As Tam pointed out elsewhere, and Kev quoted up above, Zumbo's not the first gun writer to write an anti-2nd Ammendment screed on "unpopular guns". Quite a few of those have made it into mainstream gun magazines over the years.
As Tam pointed out, the only real difference here is that Zumbo got nailed to a cross for it today. Thirty years ago, he wouldn't have.
I don't have a beef with the man. I haven't been making anti-Zumbo blog posts, nor prowling the blog comment roud on a "Crucify heem!" crusade. ;) If he's for real on his conversion and on making ammends - kewl: good on him. I'm skeptical. Wah. It's an earned skepticism. I'll be happy if I'm wrong.
If he's not and my skepticism is right? Wah. He won't be the first. I'll note it in passing on a "Din't really expect any better" vein, and move on.
My views on Kev's post are specfic: This *only* will have a positive net result for the gun-rights side if the example makes a Rudy Guilianni or a Wayne LaPierre think thrice before they jump to endorse the next compromise. It'll only have a net positive if it makes other gun writers pause to think there might be something more to this "2nd Ammendment thang" than "sporting porpoises". It'll only have a net positive if it causes gun-rights advocates push their fair-wind "allies" as hard as they did Zumbo.
It don't, *shrug*, then it's a freaking waste: a man's lifetime career acheivements were shat on for nothing. Might as well have left him be, and let it ride.
If gun owners are as quick to hold a politician's or an NRA lobbyist's feet to the fire and nail them to the wall for stabbing us in the back as they were a haples old man, then I'll be impressed.
If not... I'll note it in passing on a "Din't really expect any better" vein, and move on. *snork* ;]
Note: All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost; references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>