Sometimes the opinion commentary contains an infamous
statement by Adolf Hitler himself, where he praises Germany's gun
registration system in these chilling terms:
This year will go down in history! For the first time, a civilized
nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police
more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future![20]
The quote has been published more than a hundred times in papers
across the country. In fact, a Lexis search of the news library returns
115 references to Hitler's statement.
20. This quote usually runs with some variant of the following attribution:
Adolph Hitler, 'Abschied vom Hessenland!' ['Farewell to Hessia!'], ['Berlin Daily'
(loose English translation)], Apr. 15, 1935, at 3, Einleitung Von Eberhard Beckmann
[Introduction by Eberhard Beckmann]. For an example of this attribution see ARMS,
Bearing of, at
http://users.mstar2.net/brucewrites/d %20arms.htm (last visited Sept. 28,
2004). For examples of letters to the editors that include this infamous statement,
see, for example, Seth Kleinbeck, Wanted: Guns and Morals, Arkansas Democrat-
Gazette (Little Rock, Ark.), Sept. 27, 1998, at J5; Michael Paul Williams, Flag Salute's
Context is Revealing, Richmond Times Dispatch (Va.), Feb. 11, 2002, at B1.