Nazi gun control argument

This article is about the claim that Nazi gun control facilitated the Holocaust. For the history of German gun laws, see Gun legislation in Germany.

German Weapons Act of 18 March 1938 (RGBl. I p. 265)

The Nazi gun control argument is the claim that gun regulations in Nazi Germany helped facilitate the rise of the Nazis and the Holocaust.[1][2][3] Historians and fact-checkers have characterized the argument as dubious or false, and point out that Jews were under 1% of the population and that it would be unrealistic for such a small population to defend themselves even if they were armed.[2][3][4][5][6]

The argument is frequently employed by opponents of gun control in debates on United States gun politics, citing security against tyranny. Those against the argument most often call it an example of reductio ad Hitlerum.[7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Kohn, Abigail (2004). Shooters: Myths and Realities of America's Gun Cultures. Oxford University Press. p. 187. ISBN 0-19-515051-1. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Bryant, Michael S. (May 4, 2012). "Holocaust Imagery and Gun Control". In Carter, Gregg Lee (ed.). Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture and the Law. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 411–415. ISBN 9780313386701. OCLC 833189121. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nuckols130131 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harcourt2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Steinweis, Alan (October 14, 2015). "Ben Carson Is Wrong on Guns and the Holocaust". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference TPM130109 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).