A tragedy can be used by political hackers and their lapdog media to motivate action and response. Rahm Emanuel made this point when he stated that “Never let any serious crisis go to waste.” This is what he meant. Politicians and media can use the tragedy to push their agendas in the wake of sadness and grief.
Nazi propagandists were skilled at inflaming the masses in times of crisis or tragedy. Kristallnacht was the result of a Polish Jew killing Ernst von Rath, a minor German diplomat. Germans claimed that Jews had “fired the first shots.” After a tragedy, propaganda inflamed Germany and Nazis in particular. The tragedy of Vom Rath’s death was too tragic to ignore.
Uvalde is an unmistakable tragedy. It’s an unavoidable tragedy for modern propagandists at The Washington Post. It must be used to make points, even if they are false.
The Washington Post published a story by Mark Fisher four years ago after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. In it, Fisher claimed that the popular AR-15 rifle was the product of a Nazi machinegun that was used by German troops on the Eastern front.
He needed to strike while it was hot so he tweeted a link to his column from four years ago.
Invented for Nazi infantrymen, further developed by the US military, the AR-15 was the Texas school shooter’s weapon of choice…. https://t.co/Pw3AwI9pbc
— Marc Fisher (@mffisher) May 26, 2022
He used the most common tropes in his piece. ARs are “assault weapons.” They kill people. He quoted politicians complaining that ARs were useless for hunting. However, he ignored the fact that the Second Amendment was not written for hunting. Fisher only offers binary options.
Fisher claimed that he drew a line from a Nazi machinegun to Gene Stoner’s invention. However, there is no evidence that Stoner was directly inspired by the Sturmgewehr44. It is clear that the AK47 was derived from the Stg44 design, as that was the standard for the Soviet Union. It was much easier to steal than it was to invent.
It is clear that the purpose of drawing a straight line from a Nazi weapon of war to an AR is transparent. This is another way to demonize ARs. It’s another way to demonize ARs.
Stoner worked for Armalite and was familiar with German machine guns. He also knew about past inventions such as the Browning BAR, Thompson submachine gun, and many others. Automatic and semi-automatic rifles were available for nearly a half-century by 1957.
Fisher also conveniently ignored facts about AR use for a crime. There are approximately 20 million ARs and variants in America. However, ARs are far less commonly used in murder than ARs. Fisher also reveals that handguns are responsible for most gun crimes.
Fisher also recalled that Bush 2005 signed a law protecting arms dealers and makers from criminal liability for their products. It was deemed the NRA’s most important piece of pro-gun legislation for twenty years.
Joe Biden lied recently about 2005 legislation. He claimed that gun manufacturers were the only industry that could not be sued. CNN even acknowledged that Biden’s claim was false.
Fisher’s article titled “The AR-15: America’s rifle or illegitimate killer machine?” could be easily retitled.
AR-15 America’s Assault Rifle, or an illegitimate bastard from Nazi Germany?
It is not surprising to find a 4-year-old article that falsely links ARs and Uvalde’s massacre to Nazi Germany.
Never let a tragedy go unresolved.
