Overkill (New York Times defends Zumbo, Attacks FreeRepublic in Editorial)

New York Times ^ | 3/3/07 | NYT Editorial Board

[CondiRice08]

A famous hunter and outdoorsman recently voiced misgivings about people who use assault rifles to kill prairie dogs. “Assault rifle” is a much touchier term. It is generally understood to be the kind of gun that soldiers use in wars and terrorists use on the evening news. But the gun lobby despises “assault rifle,” considering it a false, scary label tacked onto perfectly legitimate weapons by people who want to take away others’ rights. That is a debate for another day. “Excuse me, maybe I’m a traditionalist,” he wrote, “but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity.” He added: “To most of the public, an assault rifle is a terrifying thing. Let’s divorce ourselves from them. I say game departments should ban them from the prairies and woods.” Until he wrote that, Mr. Zumbo was one of the most admired hunters in America, a widely read magazine writer with his own cable TV program and lots of lecture appearances and corporate sponsorships. He of all people should have known that “ban” is the mother of all fighting words to gun zealots. His 250-word posting caused a huge eruption on gun blogs, and Mr. Zumbo instantly became their second-most-hated man, after the gun-control advocate James Brady. He lost his blog, was dumped by Outdoor Life magazine and was disowned by the National Rifle Association, after 40 years of membership. His corporate sponsors, including the gunmaker Remington, ditched him. His cable show was canceled. The N.R.A. issued a chilling statement warning Congress to take heed of Mr. Zumbo’s fate. By the time Blaine Harden told his story in The Washington Post, Mr. Zumbo was professionally dead. The paranoia and gloating that Mr. Zumbo’s name has evoked on gun discussion boards like ar15.com and freerepublic.com speak for themselves.p>

[JennysCool]

Ha! So now we're a "gun discussion board"???

Good Lord, the lib media is laughable!

[JennysCool]

Ha! Don't miss this one!

[Muentzer2005]

"Ha! So now we're a "gun discussion board"??? "

I was wondering about that.
I've never talked about guns here ...

[tet68]

Hahahah, I think they meant a "Gum" discussion board.

I like Chiclets.

[MARKUSPRIME]

FR must be doing something right if the NYT is against it. :)

I expect an influx of leftists since they worship at the alter of the times.

[Jim Robinson]

Gee, after shooting his mouth off sites like FR destroyed his career? Sounds like he has a Dixie Chick mania.

[Brad from Tennessee]

Where I live we are still recovering from the economic devastation of the Civil War. Our unemployment rate is higher than average and our wage rate is lower than average. The great thing about a Chinese or Soviet-bloc SKS is that a poor man can buy one here for as little as $90 and go out and shoot a deer and eat for awhile.

[Richard Kimball]

I've never talked about guns here ...

Yeah, and I've been wondering about that. We're watching you. You'd better get some gun stuff on here PDQ, if you know what's good for you.

Seriously, the one thing you can always count on with the NYT, aside from their ever present slanting of the news, is a pomposity level that is unmatched, except in fine arts circles.

[Geronimo]

We're a gun discussion board according to the NY Slimes...kind of like saying they are a gay wedding announcement rag...

[org.whodat]

Sounds like he has a Dixie Chick mania.

Now that's original. LOL

[FormerACLUmember]

Free Republic is a gun focused website?

Extrapolate this lie to anything else you read in the NY Times editorial page.

[ansel12]

For all your gun discussion needs remember AR15.com , and freerepublic.com

[Brilliant]

“Excuse me, maybe I’m a traditionalist,” he wrote, “but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity.”

Like who cares what kind of a gun they use bub? Afterall, the ground hog is dead either way.

[theBuckwheat]

If the NYT = MSM, then by the weight of the number of posts or the number words, FR is by either measure far more of a MSM discussion board than a gun discussion board. But then the NYT's motto is now, All the News that Fits, We Print.

[don-o]

This is my rifle
This is my gun...

[Dallas59]

Guns are used to defend yourself and property and kill the bad guys. People kill people...not guns...SUV's....or....

[MarkL]

Of course this sort of thing could never happen in the loving, caring wings of the democrats and liberals... After all, they're so open-minded, tolerant, and accepting of other points of view. Like when Senator Joe Lieberman, a man who has a 90%+ hard left liberal voting record, supports the War on Terror and the war in Iraq, is thrown under the bus by the dems?

Mark

[okie01]

But the gun lobby despises “assault rifle,” considering it a false, scary label tacked onto perfectly legitimate weapons by people who want to take away others’ rights.

Because that's exactly what it is -- "a false, scary label" concocted by gun-grabbing liberals for propaganda purposes. As the New York Times damn well knows...

[umgud]

You can't rely on anything published on the internet because web folks don't have editors or fact checkers like the NYT.