Glenn Beck Nazis Image Ironic Considering Hitler Gun Control History

The Glenn Beck Nazis image portraying mayor Michael Bloomberg like Hitler is making waves, but the usage of the Nazis reference may be slightly ironic considering Hitler’s gun control history.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Glenn Beck Nazis image is said to be misunderstand by the famous talk show and radio host.

Using a Nazi-like image as a backdrop, Glenn Beck repeatedly blasted Mayor Bloomberg in regards to gun control and several other “public choices”:

“When somebody argues for gun control, they are either living in self-imposed ignorance or they are just living an argument of control…”

But is Glenn Beck’s Nazis image misplaced? Way before the Nazis and Hitler came to power in 1933, the Article 169 of the Treaty of Versailles stated, “Within two months from the coming into force of the present Treaty, German arms, munitions, and war material, including anti-aircraft material, existing in Germany in excess of the quantities allowed, must be surrendered to the Governments of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers to be destroyed or rendered useless.”

So Germany had gun control before the Nazis and Hitler took power. After 1945, the Allies implemented full control and private gun ownership was not allowed in Germany until 1956. But under Hitler gun control was actually relaxed with the 1938 German Weapons Act. Professor Bernard Harcourt of the University of Chicago says, “The 1938 revisions completely deregulated the acquisition and transfer of rifles and shotguns, as well as ammunition.”

So do the NRA and proponents of gun deregulation actually have more in common with Hitler than Michael Bloomberg? Unfortunately, gun control proponents like quoting Professor Harcourt out of context in order to feed their argument. While gun ownership in Nazi Germany was regulated and allowed, the Glenn Beck Nazis reference becomes somewhat relevant if you consider the full situation detailed by Harcourt:

“If you read the 1938 Nazi gun laws closely and compare them to earlier 1928 Weimar gun legislation – as a straightforward exercise of statutory interpretation – several conclusions become clear. First, with regard to possession and carrying of firearms, the Nazi regime relaxed the gun laws that were in place in Germany at the time the Nazis seized power. Second, the Nazi gun laws of 1938 specifically banned Jewish persons from obtaining a license to manufacture firearms or ammunition. Third, approximately eight months after enacting the 1938 Nazi gun laws,Hitler imposed regulations prohibiting Jewish persons from possessing any dangerous weapons, including firearms.”

Searching for “Hitler gun control” will return a quote saying, “To conquer a nation, you must first disarm its citizens.” This false Hitler gun control statement could be construed as a paraphrase of what Hitler actually said about gun control laws:

“The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty. So let’s not have any native militia or native police.”

What do you think about the Glenn Beck Nazis image after reading about Hitler’s gun control laws?