U.S. Senator Carl Levin: A Bit of Truth about Assault Weapons

U.S. Senator Carl Levin: A Bit of Truth about Assault Weapons
Date: Mar 21, 2007 11:30 AM
This is why what Jim Zumbo published in his blog article was so destructive.
Those who want to enact gun control have long held the "assault" weapons
ban was only a first step. The major media, antigun politicians and
gun control organizations have used Jim Zumbo's debacle as ammo
for attacking the NRA. Never mind that it was the grassroots calling
for the removal of Jim Zumbo that caused the results he has endured.
U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D) Michigan.

_http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/m-news+article+storyid-21575.html_
(http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/m-news+article+storyid-21575.html)

Congress : Senator Carl Levin: A Bit of Truth about Assault Weapons

March 20, 2007 -- In a speech to the Economic Club of Detroit in May 1999,
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., committed to speak on the issue of gun crimes each
week that the Senate is in session. This is the 257th week he has continued to
live up to his pledge; his remarks follow:

"Mr. President, the National Rifle Association leadership has stated
repeatedly that a ban on assault weapons is ineffective and unnecessary. They assert
that guns labeled as assault weapons are rarely used in violent crimes and
that most people use them for hunting. However, despite these repeated
assertions, the list of people speaking out against assault weapons continues to
grow.

Jim Zumbo, an outdoors entrepreneur who lives in a log cabin near
Yellowstone National Park, has spent much of his life writing for prominent outdoor
magazines, delivering lectures across the country and who starred in a highly
rated TV show about big-game hunting. Jim has been an NRA member for 40 years,
and, according to his website, has appeared with NRA officials in 70 cities
across the country. This relationship changed drastically when Jim expressed
his common sense opinion on assault weapons.

Last month, after learning that some hunters were using assault weapons to
hunt prairie dogs, Jim expressed his thoughts in his personal blog on the
Outdoor Life magazine website. He wrote “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.’” He continued by stating that in his “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.’”

The reaction from NRA officials was swift and callous. They immediately
severed all ties with Mr. Zumbo. His TV program on the Outdoor Channel was
canceled, and his longtime career with Outdoor Life magazine ended. In addition
many of his corporate ties to the biggest names in gun making, such as Remington
Arms Co., were terminated.

Jim Zumbo has worked for years to improve the image of outdoorsman. As he
put it, “As hunters, we don’t need the image of walking around the woods
carrying one of these weapons. 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.”

We all owe Jim Zumbo a debt of gratitude for his forthrightness, his honesty
and his courage. We must put the safety of our communities first by taking
up and passing sensible gun legislation that includes renewing the assault
weapons ban."


Source: Senator Carl Levin




The Second Amendment IS Homeland Security !