Samuel Wurzelbacher, more commonly known as Joe the Plumber, blamed gun control for the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust in a web video released Monday.
"In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were exterminated," Wurzelbacher says to cheery generic music while loading a shotgun. Wurzelbacher, who rose to prominence in the 2008 presidential campaign over tax debates, is running against Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) in a bid for the overwhelmingly Democratic seat.
"In 1939, Germany established gun control," he says, proceeding to shoot fruits and vegetables. "From 1939 to 1945, six million Jews and seven million others unable to defend themselves were exterminated."
"I love America," he closes.
Wurzelbacher isn't the first to make the claims about the Holocaust. An April 2011 GunNews newsletter used Holocaust imagery to oppose a privacy measure for gun owners.
UPDATE: 3: 27 p.m. -- The National Jewish Democratic Council, a pro-Democratic group, promptly slammed Wurzelbacher's video. President and CEO David Harris said in a statement that the comparison was "beyond the pale" and called on Wurzelbacher to "apologize and remove this offensive video immediately."
Below, a look back at key events in the federal gun control debate:
