Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that the Holocaust would have been “greatly diminished” had Jewish people in Europe been armed with guns.
“I think the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed,” Carson said. “I’m telling you there is a reason these dictatorial people take guns first.”
Carson also partly blames the horror of the Holocaust on Nazi gun control laws in his latest book, A Perfect Union, but his statements Thursday, along with many others he’s made this week on guns, were swiftly attacked.
According to ABC News, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said Carson’s statements were “historically inaccurate.”
“The small number of personal firearms available to Germany’s Jews in 1938 could in no way have stopped the totalitarian power of the Nazi German state,” said ADL national director Jonathan Greenblatt.
The Holocaust comment was only the latest of Carson’s recent statements on firearms. The retired neurosurgeon also faced criticism on Thursday for statements he made on a SiriusXM radio show about a time he faced a gun in a Baltimore Popeyes restaurant.
See Ben Carson's Life in Photos
An early childhood photograph of Ben Carson.Courtesy of Ben Carson CampaignBen Carson's graduation from Southwestern High School, Detroit circa 1969.Courtesy of Ben Carson CampaignBen Carson with his mother, Sonya, and his future wife, Candy after his graduation from Yale University, circa 1973. Courtesy of Ben Carson CampaignDr. Donlin Long, director of neurosurgery, left, and Dr. Ben Carson director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital, with brain model of the Siamese twins separated in a 22-hour surgery at Hopkins, Sept. 7, 1987, in Baltimore.Fred Kraft—APDr. Ben Carson shares his personal story with middle school students on March 17, 2000 in Roswell, N.M.Aaron J. Walker—APDr Dennis Rohner, Dr Beat Hammer, Dr Ivan Ng, Dr Ben
Carson, Prof. Walter Tan, and Dr Keith Goh rehearse an operation to
separate conjoined twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani from Iran at Raffles
Hospital on July 5, 2003 in Singapore.ReutersDr. Keith Goh (left) adjusts the frame on conjoined twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani as Dr. Ben Carson observes the start of neurosurgery proceedings at the Raffles Hospital on July 6, 2003 in Singapore. Getty ImagesTen-year-old Indian twins Sabah and Farah sit beside Ben Carson (C), Managing Director, Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, Anne Marie Moncure, their father Shakeel (L), their brother (R) and senior child specialist of Apollo Hospital, Dr. Anupan Sibal, on Oct. 4, 2005 in New Delhi.Raveendran—AFP/Getty ImagesGeorge W. Bush presents a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ben Carson for his work with neurological disorders on June 19, 2008 at the White House in Washington.Alex Wong—Getty ImagesBen Carson officially announces his candidacy for President of the United States on May 4, 2015 in Detroit.Bill Pugliano—Getty ImagesBen Carson poses for a photo during the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Dinner on May 16, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa.Charlie Neibergall—APBen Carson speaks during the Energizing America Gala at the 2015 Southern Republican Leadership Conference May 22, 2015 in Oklahoma City, Okla.Alex Wong—Getty ImagesBen Carson at a political fund-raiser for GOP candidates on June 6, 2015, in Boone, Iowa. Jabin Bostford—The Washington Post/Getty ImagesRepublican presidential candidates from left, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and John Kasich take the stage for the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. Andrew Harnik—APBen Carson prays during church services at Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines , Iowa. Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesBen Carson rides the Sky Glider with a reporter while touring the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesBen Carson and his wife Candy on Aug. 18, 2015 in Phoenix.Ross D. Franklin—APBen Carson is greeted by supporters at a rally on Aug. 27, 2015 in Little Rock, Ark.Danny Johnston—APBen Carson at a service at Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines.Daniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Carson recalled his Popeyes stickup experience during a Wednesday interview with Urban View host Karen Hunter. “I have had a gun held on me when I was in a Popeyes organization,” said Carson. “The guy comes in, put the gun in my ribs. And I just said, ‘I believe that you want the guy behind the counter.’”
The Baltimore Police Department said it did not have enough information to confirm Carson’s story.
Based on the information that #BenCarson mentioned, there was not enough info to identify a police report in reference to the incident.
The Police Department explained on Twitter it had received “multiple media requests” in response to Carson’s interview, but without a date and time they could not confirm its validity.
Carson was pressed about the statements on Thursday during an appearance on Michael Smerconish’s radio program, given the leading candidate’s critique of the Oregon community-college shooting victims earlier this week.
“I would not just stand there and let him shoot me,” Carson told Fox News on Tuesday, referencing the Oregon shooting. “I would say: ‘Hey, guys, everybody attack him. He may shoot me, but he can’t get us all.’”
Carson said Thursday the two situations were “different.”
“They’re two very different situations. You’ve got a crazy person who’s shooting people and is clearly going to continue to do that vs. somebody who’s coming in to try to get a little bit of cash,” Carson said. “Now I’m not justifying the fact that he’s coming in to rob the place, but you’ve got to be able to distinguish between somebody who’s trying to rob a joint and somebody who is trying to kill you.”
See the Covers of the 2016 Presidential Hopefuls' Memoirs
The cover of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 2014 book "Hard Choices" is a classic of the political memoir genre: The politician's face, front and center with a strong but vague title beneath.Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina's 2007 book "Tough Choices" followed the same playbook as Clinton's, even down to the similar titles.Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson's 2014 book "One Nation" is a variation on the theme, the crossed arms and the subtitle underlining the message, since he's not been a politician before.Former New York Gov. George Pataki's 1998 autobiography, "Pataki," presents him as such a towering figure that he doesn't even need a regular title.Other politicians go for a softer touch with a more autobiographical book to help voters learn more about who they are, as in Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's 2013 memoir, "An American Son."South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's 2015 e-book, "My Story," takes a similar approach.Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's 2005 book, "Rick Santorum," is less autobiographical, but the cover also goes for the soft touch.Some books zero in on a specific image. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2015 book, "God, Guns, Grits and Gravy" and the photo of him, tieless, in a pastoral scene, sells him as an avatar of rural America.Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry's 2014 book defends the Boy Scouts, reinforcing the fact that he's an Eagle Scout and a cultural conservative.And business mogul Donald Trump's 1988 book, "The Art of the Deal," sells his image as a dealmaker so much that he still references it today.Other candidates aim to show they are leaders, as in Ohio Gov. John Kasich's 2006 book, "Stand for Something."Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's 2015 book, "Taking a Stand," goes a similar route, though the subtitle, "Moving Beyond Partisan Politics," gives it a slightly different spin.Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's 2015 book also pitches him as a truth teller, with a casual portrait and the title "A Time for Truth."Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee's 2010 book, "Against the Tide," also promotes him as willing to go it alone, in this case referencing his vote against the Iraq war.Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's 2014 book, "Unintimidated," goes the same route, promoting his fight against labor unions.Penguin Group/APAnd Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's 2010 book, "Leadership and Crisis," adds a photo of first responders to bring to mind natural disasters.But the cover of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' 1998 memoir shows that he really does go his own way. It breaks all the design rules, looking more like an airport thriller.
