Michigan GOP slammed for comparing gun reform to Holocaust

Mar 22, 2023, 2:04 PM

FILE - Former President Donald Trump, left, listens as Michigan Republican Secretary of State candi...

FILE - Former President Donald Trump, left, listens as Michigan Republican Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo speaks during a rally in Warren, Mich., Oct. 1, 2022. The Michigan Republican Party has received backlash from political leaders on both sides of the aisle for posts on social media Wednesday, March 22, 2023, that compare the Holocaust to gun safety measures under consideration in the state. (Todd McInturf/Detroit News via AP, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Todd McInturf/Detroit News via AP, File)

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Republican Party has received backlash from political leaders on both sides of the aisle for posts on social media Wednesday that compared the Holocaust to gun safety measures being considered in the state.

The posts, shared on the state party’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts, inaccurately claim that Democrats leading the Legislature are trying to disarm Michigan gun owners. A photo accompanying the message appears to match an image stored by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, showing rings confiscated from Jewish prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp.

“Comparing gun safety measures to the mass extermination of 6 million people is hateful and ignorant, and it comes from party leaders who are out of ideas and catering to the fringe of the fringe,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is Jewish, wrote on Twitter in response.

The Michigan State University shooting that took place less than 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the state Capitol. It would add universal background checks, requirements for safe storage and extreme risk protection orders, also known as red flag laws.

Red flag laws are intended to temporarily remove guns from people with potentially violent behavior through a judge’s order and at the request of law enforcement or family members in hopes of preventing them from hurting themselves or others.

The 11-bill package was passed by the state Senate last week and still needs to be approved by the Democratic-led House before heading to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk — who has said she will sign the legislation.

Democrats and Republicans swiftly condemned the posts and called for them to be taken down. Matt Brooks, chief executive of the Republican Jewish Coalition, responded to the Twitter post, saying it “is absolutely inappropriate and offensive and should be taken down immediately.”

The Anti-Defamation League separately tweeted that “using the Holocaust as a way to score cheap political points in the debate over gun control is unacceptable and trivializes the memory of millions murdered by the Nazis.”

Recently-elected Michigan GOP chairwoman Kristina Karamo wrote on Twitter that the state party “stands by our statement” and added that the Democratic party “currently fights to murder unborn children” and is attempting to “disarm us.”

A former community college professor, Karamo lost her secretary of state race in the 2022 midterms by 14 percentage points after mounting a campaign filled with election conspiracies. After winning the GOP chairwoman seat, she inherited a state party torn by infighting and millions in debt.

The social media posts follow a recent wave of comparisons to the Holocaust and Nazis that scholars and organizations have said are concerning.

Pope Francis compared Nicaragua’s repression of Catholics to Adolf Hitler’s rule in Germany earlier this month, while in Britain, a BBC sportscaster likened the nation’s asylum policy to 1930s Germany, resulting in his brief suspension and a national uproar.

Earlier this month, a man was charged with threatening the lives of Jewish Michigan public officials, after tweeting that he would “carry out the punishment of death to anyone” who is Jewish in the state’s government.

Michigan had the fourth most reported white supremacist propaganda of any state in 2022, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

United States News

FILE - Attorneys and criminal justice advocates stand outside Louisiana's Supreme Court on May 10, ...

Associated Press

Historic acquittal in Louisiana fuels fight to review ‘Jim Crow’ verdicts

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Evangelisto Ramos walked out of a New Orleans courthouse and away from a life sentence accompanying a 10-2 jury conviction, thanks in large part to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision bearing his name. Ramos v. Louisiana outlawed nonunanimous jury convictions as unconstitutional, with justices on the 6-3 majority acknowledging the […]

1 day ago

Associated Press

Pay per wave: Native Hawaiians divided over artificial surf lagoon in the birthplace of surfing

EWA BEACH, Hawaii (AP) — Brian Keaulana is the quintessential Native Hawaiian waterman, well-known in Hawaii and beyond for his deep understanding of the ocean, gifted with surfing and lifeguarding skills passed down from his big-wave rider father. Now, as one of the islands’ standard-bearers of surfing, Keaulana wants to further boost the sport in […]

1 day ago

FILE — A man checks his footing as he wades through the Morris Canal Outlet in Jersey City, N.J.,...

Associated Press

As rising oceans threaten NYC, study documents another risk: The city is sinking

NEW YORK (AP) — If rising oceans aren’t worry enough, add this to the risks New York City faces: The metropolis is slowly sinking under the weight of its skyscrapers, homes, asphalt and humanity itself. New research estimates the city’s landmass is sinking at an average rate of 1 to 2 millimeters per year, something […]

1 day ago

This undated photo shows the late Army Cpl. Luther H. Story. The Army said Friday, May 19, 2023, th...

Associated Press

‘He’s home’: Missing 73 years, Medal of Honor recipient’s remains return to Georgia

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Soldiers of the 9th Infantry Regiment made a desperate retreat as North Korean troops closed in around them. A wounded, 18-year-old Army Pfc. Luther Herschel Story feared his injuries would slow down his company, so he stayed behind to cover their withdrawal. Story’s actions in the Korean War on Sept. 1, […]

1 day ago

A skeleton in sunglasses sits beside a sign reading "Just waiting for the insurance check," outside...

Associated Press

Struggles continue for thousands in Florida 8 months after Hurricane Ian as new storm season looms

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Eight months ago, chef Michael Cellura had a restaurant job and had just moved into a fancy new camper home on Fort Myers Beach. Now, after Hurricane Ian swept all that away, he lives in his older Infiniti sedan with a 15-year-old long-haired chihuahua named Ginger. Like hundreds of […]

1 day ago

President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Washi...

Associated Press

Takeaways on debt ceiling: McCarthy’s balancing act, Biden’s choice and the challenges ahead

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a deal no one in Washington claims to really like. But after weeks of negotiations, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have struck an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and avert a potentially devastating government default. The stakes are high for both men — and now each will […]

1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

...

SANDERSON FORD

Thank you to Al McCoy for 51 years as voice of the Phoenix Suns

Sanderson Ford wants to share its thanks to Al McCoy for the impact he made in the Valley for more than a half-decade.

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

How to identify the symptoms of 3 common anxiety disorders

Living with an anxiety disorder can be debilitating and cause significant stress for those who suffer from the condition.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Michigan GOP slammed for comparing gun reform to Holocaust