National Jewish Democratic Council President David Harris has demanded that Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, also known as “Joe the Plumber”, should apologise for releasing a campaign video in which he blames the Holocaust on gun control.
The short film shows Mr Wurzelbacher, who is running as the Republican congressional candidate in Ohio’s 9th District, loading his shotgun as the narrator states that “In 1939, Germany established gun control.”
As the former plumber starts firing at fruits and vegetables situated on a mound a small distance away, the voiceover directly links this with the fact that “from 1939 to 1945, six million Jews and seven million others unable to defend themselves were exterminated.”
The congressional candidate, still holding his firearm, then turns away from his targets, smiles into the camera, and declares “I love America.”
Mr Harris has urged Mr Wurzelbacher "to apologise and remove this offensive video immediately”, asserting that “using the memories of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust to make a political point is never appropriate.
“For Ohio Republican House candidate Samuel Wurzelbacher to imply that these innocent lives were taken because of gun control laws is simply beyond the pale.”
The description of the video, which is available on YouTube, clarifies Wurzelbacher’s beliefs on gun control: “the Second Amendment will always be a good thing. History also tells us it’s our last line of defence in the face of an out-of-control government.”
