A tragedy can be used by political hackers and their media spies to motivate action and response. Rahm Emanuel articulated that point when he said: “Never let a serious crisis go to waste.” What he meant by that is simple. Political leaders and media are able to capitalize on tragedy by pushing an agenda after sadness, grief and anger.
Nazi propagandists excelled at inflaming masses during times of tragedy and crisis. Kristallnacht was the result of a Polish Jew killing Ernst von Rath, a minor German diplomat. Germans declared that Jews “fired the first shot.” Germany generally and Nazis, in particular, were inflamed by propaganda after a tragedy. Vom Rath’s murder was a tragedy that couldn’t go to waste.
Uvalde represents an inexplicable tragedy. For modern propagandists at The Washington Post, it’s a tragedy that can’t be wasted. It needs to be exploited to make a point–even if those points are falsehoods.
The Washington Post published an article by Mark Fisher four years ago after Stoneman Douglas High School’s massacre. In it, Fisher claims that the AR-15 rifle was the product of a Nazi-made machine gun. This weapon was used by German soldiers, mainly on the Eastern Front.
Because Mr. Fisher had to act quickly, he posted a link from his 4-year-old column.
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 article. ARs are “assault rifles.” They have no other purpose than killing people. He quoted politicians lamenting that ARs are useless for hunting, ignoring that the Second Amendment wasn’t written about, or for, hunting. Fisher’s only choice is binary.
Mr. Fisher drew a direct line from a Nazi machine gun to Gene Stoner’s invention, when in fact there is zero evidence that Stoner was directly influenced by the Sturmgewehr 44. The AK47 is a result of the Stg44 design. This was a standard procedure in 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 between a Nazi weapon of war and an AR is to draw a transparent line. It’s another way to demonize ARs. If calling them “assault rifles” isn’t enough, then why not relate its invention to Nazis–and who wants to be associated with Nazis?
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 others. Automatic and semi-automatic rifles were available for nearly a century by 1957.
Fisher deliberately left out important facts regarding AR use in criminal activity. There are approximately 20 million ARs and variants across America. However, ARs are far less commonly used in crime than ARs. Fisher also notes that gun crimes are dominated by handguns.
Also Fisher recounted that in “2005, Bush signed into law a measure protecting arms makers and dealers from liability for crimes committed with their products. The NRA called it ‘the most significant piece of pro-gun legislation in twenty years.’”
Joe Biden recently lied about the 2005 legislation, stating that gun manufactures are the only industry that “cannot be sued.” Even CNN acknowledged the Biden claim was false.
Fisher’s piece titled: “The AR-15: ‘America’s rifle’ or illegitimate killing machine?” could easily be retitled:
AR-15 America’s Assault Rifle or illegitimate bastard of Nazi Germany?
It is no surprise that a 4 year-old article was used to link ARs with the Uvalde massacre in Nazi Germany.
Don’t let tragedy waste away.
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