America, Nazi Germany, and Guns

-Some History

Nazi Germany. 1933. Hitler has taken power in Germany, legally, and is now ready to enact brutal, totalitarian laws which will crush resistance in the country for the next 10+ years. Not too long later, the Nazi Party is the only political party in Germany, and open opposition of it can earn you a stay in a concentration camp, or execution by the SS. Freedom of speech becomes a luxury only other countries have.

Hitler and the Nazis loaded Jews into railcars by the millions and sent them off to concentration camps, which basically became a death warrant for most Jews. They could not fight back while they watched their families executed by firing squad or gas, and then incinerated. In the beginning, the Nazis didn’t know how to deal with all the bodies, so they just piled them up and tried to bury them. First-hand accounts describe this method to be horrifying and disgusting.

The Nazis lied in the beginning about where the Jews were going, both to the Jews themselves, and to other countries who were asked to send Jews to Germany. In the beginning, the Nazis said they were “deporting” them, which was partially true, and entirely false at the same time. It seemed logical to the Jews at the time because the Nazi Party and National Socialism as a whole was horribly anti-Semitic. Before long it became pretty clear what was happening; they weren’t going to another country, they were going deep into Germany where they would never be seen again.

Nazi Germany had stripped the Jews of their rights pretty quickly after their ascension to power. They were not allowed to own shops, most weren’t allowed to work at all, they were not allowed to possess firearms, and most were stripped of their citizenship entirely, even if they had been in Germany for generations. The Nazi Party had an overwhelming victory over the Jews for these reasons.

-America and Guns

Over the past year I have, on multiple occasions, heard probably the funniest statement I have ever heard (and I’ve heard funny things). “America is turning into Nazi Germany.” Couldn’t help but laugh just now. It’s just so stupid. After reading my historically accurate description of the TOTALITARIAN government of Nazi Germany, do you believe that America looks anything like that? While America is home to the most secure prisons in the world, they are not concentration camps.

(On a side note, while it can be argued that Camp Delta, or Guantanamo Bay, is a sort of concentration camp, it’s inmates consist only of terrorists and verified enemies of the United States. There are no United States citizens like you or me currently being held at this facility)

A recent push for increased gun control is justified in many ways, but practical gun control is not easy to achieve. Additionally, while gun control advocates are pushing for increased gun control, they aren’t actually suggesting solutions. They are just requesting change. It’s like me telling someone they are rude, without telling them how they can be less rude, it’s not helpful. Furthermore, the wheels of government turn very slowly, if they turn at all, meaning actual gun reform is years out.

And while I believe that everyone, regardless of political affiliations, is pushing some kind of agenda and pursuing some kind of endgame, I do not believe there is some elaborate system in place that is trading human lives for policy reform. It is, however, not completely insane to think that some of these incidents are being manipulated and inflated to make it a bigger deal than it really is.

Additionally, and here’s where it gets fun, school shootings are not as common as you think. Sure, when you look at how many there have been over the course of a decade it looks like a lot, but that is ten years, 3,650 days. If these shootings had taken place in a mall or just your average Wal Mart would a bunch of teens and “pre-teens” be walking out of school about it? Probably not.

The fact of the matter is that I understand some kids are pretty terrified that they’ll be sitting in English and someone will come in and blow their head off. That’s a real fear for me, too. However, I don’t think a big rally somewhere is a great solution.

The world is a very cruel place. It doesn’t care how you feel. It doesn’t care if you’re scared. But fear has driven the human race forward. It helped us develop all kinds of military technology over the course of two world wars.

Fear is an excellent motivator, and thats the problem. Don’t let fear motivate you to do things that will have no impact. Take a step back and actually learn about the topic. Don’t bash gun owners if you haven’t taken the time to get to know them. If you don’t know anything about guns, don’t take a nonsensical stand against them. I personally never support or oppose anything without having a good knowledge on the matter.