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Jim Zumbo Letter to the U.S. Senate Oppsing a Ban on "Assualt Weapons"
NRA - ILA ^
| March 28, 2007
| JIM ZUMBO
Posted on 03/30/2007 10:53:28 AM PDT by neverdem
·11250 Waples Mill Road · Fairfax, Virginia 22030 ·800-392-8683
Jim Zumbo Letter to the U.S. Senate Oppsing a Ban on "Assualt Weapons"
JIM ZUMBO
March 28, 2007
An Open Letter to the
United States Senate
Dear Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen:
It recently came to my attention that one of your colleagues, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, has chosen to attack firearms owners using remarks I wrote in mid-February as his launch pad. As you probably know, Sen. Levin has been making anti-gun speeches every week for the past eight years because of a promise he made to the Economic Club of Detroit in May 1999.
Mr. Levin has an agenda, and he should have spoken to me before using my name in one of his speeches, especially since his remarks were entered into the Congressional Record. I would like my remarks here entered into the Congressional Record as well.
Sen. Levin is only one of 16 members of the Senate to vote against the Vitter Amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. This amendment prohibits the confiscation of a privately-owned firearm during an emergency or major disaster when possession of that gun is not prohibited under state or federal law.
Eighty-four senators voted for that amendment, inspired by the egregious confiscation of firearms from the citizens of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005. Those seizures, you will recall, led the Second Amendment Foundation and National Rifle Association to join in a landmark civil rights lawsuit in federal court that brought the confiscations to an abrupt end.
The taking of private property without warrant or probable cause even firearms was considered an outrage by millions of American citizens, and yet Sen. Levin joined 15 of his colleagues in voting against this measure. It is no small wonder that Sen. Levin gets an F rating from gun rights organizations. He would have American citizens disarmed and left defenseless at a time when they need their firearms the most, when social order collapses into anarchy and protecting ones self and ones family is not simply a right and responsibility, it becomes a necessity.
That in mind, Sen. Levin must know that almost immediately after I wrote those remarks, I recanted and apologized to the millions of Americans who lawfully and responsibly own, compete with and hunt with semi-automatic rifles. I took a crash course on these firearms and visited with my good friend Ted Nugent on his ranch in Texas, where I personally shot an AR-15 and educated myself with these firearms.
Some of us learn from our mistakes, others keep making them. Legislation to which Sen. Levin alluded, HR 1022, would renew the ban on so-called assault weapons, and dangerously expand it to encompass far more perfectly legal firearms. For the Congress of the United States to even consider such legislation is an affront to every law-abiding firearms owner in this country.
This legislation that Sen. Levin appears to endorse is written so broadly as outlaw not only firearms, but accessories, including a folding stock for a Ruger rifle. As I understand the language of this bill, it could ultimately take away my timeworn and cherished hunting rifles and shotguns firearms I hope to one day pass on to my grandchildren as well as millions of identical and similar firearms owned by other American citizens.
It is clear to me that the supporters of this legislation dont want to stop criminals. They want to invent new ones out of people like me, and many of you, and your constituents, friends, neighbors and members of your families. They will do anything they can, go to any extremes they believe necessary, to make it impossible for more and more American citizens to legally own any firearm.
In his final paragraph, Senator Levin misrepresents what I said. I never spoke in favor of a general assault weapons ban. Again, I immediately apologized for my blog statement that was exclusively directed toward hunting and not gun ownership.
I will not allow my name to be associated with this kind of attack on the Second Amendment rights of my fellow citizens.
A few weeks ago, in a letter to Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, I promised to educate my fellow hunters about this insidious legislation even if I have to visit every hunting camp and climb into every duck blind and deer stand in this country to get it done.
I will amend that to add that I will bring my effort to Capitol Hill if necessary, even if I have to knock on every door and camp in every office of the United States Senate. In promoting this ban, the Hon. Carl Levin does not speak for me, or anybody I know.
Sincerely,
James Zumbo
Cody, Wyoming
Read About It:
Posted:
3/30/2007 9:21:01 AM
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Find this item at: http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/InTheNews.aspx?ID=9177
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: awb; banglist; carllevin; jimzumbo
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To: Joe Brower
Well, he's trying to redeem himself. Gotta give him that much, though we need to see more like this from him.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
21
posted on
03/30/2007 7:08:27 PM PDT
by
wku man
(Claire Wolfe's "awkward time" is quickly coming to an end!)
To: wku man
I still don't think Zumbo has gotten it, all he seems to believe now is that it's OK to use "black rifles" for hunting afterall. "THE 2ND AMENDMENT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO ABOUT HUNTING!" It's about the lamb having a way to defend itself from the wolves. The Gun-rights movement and NRA and GOA will spend years correcting all the trouble that Mr. Zumbo has caused. If he spends the rest of his life fighting for the 2nd, then maybe he should get forgiveness on his deathbed.
To: neverdem
Good letter.
Mr. Zumbo has paid a large price for his earlier mistake. Sometimes a heavy price is necessary to truly learn from a mistake. I hope the best for Mr. Zumbo in the future.
23
posted on
03/30/2007 9:07:50 PM PDT
by
Ghengis
(Of course freedom is free. If it wasn't, it would be called expensivedom. ~Cindy Sheehan 11/11/06)
To: Joe Brower
It has to smart having his own words used against him.
I doubt though that his new words will be read into the Record.
To: Joe Brower
I saw the show he was on with Ted Nugent at Ted's Texas ranch. I think he has seen the light, at least he saying and doing the right things!
25
posted on
03/31/2007 8:34:39 AM PDT
by
blackie
(Be Well~Be Armed~Be Safe~Molon Labe!)
To: ExSoldier
I was one of those loud voices that condemed him and I said that his "apology" was cheap talk in the face of the tremendous personal loss his comments generated. I was wrong. He means it. It's too soon to say. So far it's just more words; let's see if he puts his money where his mouth is.
Remember that he described his fellow American gun owners as *terrorists*. He still has a lot of correction to make.
26
posted on
04/02/2007 8:43:00 AM PDT
by
archy
(Et Thybrim multo spumantem sanguine cerno. [from Virgil's *Aeneid*.])
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