In 2018, Jared Polis made twofold history when he became the first Jewish person and the first gay man to be elected governor of Colorado. Since taking office, he’s earned the ire of conservative activists and pundits, one of whom recently compared him to Adolf Hitler.
Earlier this month, Karen Murray – a talk radio host and firearms instructor who previously co-chaired a campaign seeking to recall Polis – shared an image on Facebook which depicted Jared Polis wearing Hitler’s uniform, as well as the dictator’s infamous mustache. The meme compared Polis’ gubernatorial policy to the ultra-conservative fascism of Nazi Germany, with the caption “Leave your rights at the border.” All of this, Murray wrote, was “Very fitting!”
It goes without saying that Hitler’s regime carried out the genocide of six million Jewish people. It’s also widely known that the Nazis also persecuted, among many other groups, gay people, though the exact number of deaths in that category is difficult to determine.
Responding to a request for comment, Murray wrote: “My thoughts are my own, I don’t think Polis is a good Governor, and I believe he’s trampling on our rights. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”
She also wrote that she did not consent to her name, likeness, or any Facebook posts being published in the Colorado Times Recorder, even though the post in question was, at the time of writing, publicly available. After being contacted for comment, Murray deleted the post.
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Murray is a radio host at KLZ 560, where she spends her Monday afternoons hosting “Shooting the Breeze.” The show promotes gun ownership and Second Amendment rights, and is broadcast in collaboration with Franktown Firearms, a local gun store and firing range. The webpage for “Shooting the Breeze” proudly declares that Franktown Firearms has training courses for children aged five and up to “learn to keep themselves and others safe in homes with guns!”
A spokesperson for Crawford Broadcasting Company, which owns KLZ 560, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they were concerned about a radio host in their network posting this. This article will be updated with any comment received.
Many Second Amendment advocates have taken issue with gun control legislation passed by Colorado Democrats this year, including a bill requiring a three-day waiting period between purchasing a gun and receiving it, and a “red flag” law to make it easier to take weapons away from someone a judge has determined to be a threat to themselves or others.
In 2019, Murray and other leaders of the Official Recall Polis campaign said they were most displeased with Polis over a law concerning comprehensive sex ed in Colorado public schools. Murray in particular said she was concerned the law would block out “religious connotation” from sexual education – though nothing in the law banned religious perspectives from being included.
The Recall Polis campaign ultimately failed to accomplish its goal, though that did not stop activists from trying again in subsequent years.
