Michigan GOP chair Kristina Karamo refuses to apologize for social media posts comparing gun control to Holocaust

Through multiple social media accounts, the Michigan Republican Party made inaccurate and misleading posts comparing the passage of new state gun legislation to the Holocaust.

The posts drew condemnation from Jewish groups, Democrats and even some Republicans.

#History has shown us that the first thing a government does when it wants total control over its people is to disarm them. President Reagan once stated, “if we lose #freedom here, there is nowhere else to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth.” #2A #GOP pic.twitter.com/cGCHMN1Pxg

— Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) March 22, 2023

Newly-elected Michigan GOP Chairwoman Kristina Karamo refused to remove the posts. She says people need to have access to weapons and to look to the past to see why that’s necessary.

“Learning from the atrocities and evils of history is one of the best ways we can prevent those evils from happening again,” Karamo said at a news conference.

In recent years, Republicans have pushed back against teaching complete histories of issues and events such as the Holocaust, slavery and the civil rights movement.

“We’re a different Republican Party. We are not the Republican Party who apologizes and run away from opposition,” says Karamo. “It’s the reason why the Republican Party has gotten kicked in the teeth the last three cycles because it’s been a party that’s always apologizing.”

Karamo lost the race for Michigan Secretary of State to Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson last November, though she’s refused to concede.

Recently the Michigan Legislature passed an extreme risk protection order bill, commonly known as a red flag law. It would allow people to go to a judge to temporarily bar a family member from owning a firearm if they’re deemed a risk to themselves or others.