(JTA) — The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle has called for the resignation of a National Rifle Association lobbyist who reportedly linked gun control to the Holocaust.
NRA spokesman Brian Judy reportedly compared the promotion of stricter gun control laws to policies in Nazi Germany. The comment came while referring to a Jewish donor during a meeting about a Washington ballot measure that would expand background checks for gun purchases.
Judy is a senior state lobbyist for the NRA based in California.
“Now [Seattle entrepreneur Nick Hanauer is] funding, he’s put half a million dollars, toward this policy, the same policy that led to his family getting run out of Germany by the Nazis. You know, it’s staggering to me, it’s just, you can’t make this stuff up. That these people, it’s like any Jewish people I meet who are anti-gun, I think, ‘Are you serious? Do you not remember what happened?’ And why did that happen? Because they registered guns and then they took them,” he said at the meeting.
A video clip of the talk was posted on the HorsesAss.com website on Monday.
The Seattle federation has endorsed Initiative 594. On July 28, 2006, Naveed Haq, A Pakistani Muslim, forced his way into the downtown offices of the federation, shooting six women who worked there and killing one. The shooter was sentenced in 2010 to life in prison,
The federation statement said: “It is deeply offensive for anyone to suggest that Jewish supporters of gun violence prevention have ‘forgotten’ the history of our people. For a representative of the National Rifle Association, or any organization, to repeat the out-of-touch falsehood linking gun violence prevention to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust is not only an ignorant distortion but is exceedingly dangerous.”
In a news conference on Tuesday the federation’s president, Keith Dvorchik, also demanded that the national office of the NRA “make clear that it rejects his ignorant and unproductive dialogue,” the Seattle Times reported.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
