If people want to collect Nazi memorabilia, that’s their business. Although I’m the son of a Holcaust survivor, I don’t want to live in a world where the government or some random committee decides what otherwise legal objects should be deemed illegal by association. Morally, I reckon owning or displaying Nazi stuff is all about the context. Veneration or vilification? You pays your money, you make the call. Not that I like to see Nazi accoutrements held up as objects of totemic worship. More specifically, no matter how it would be presented (or not), this piece REALLY turns my stomach . . .
Heinrich Himmler oversaw the Nazi death camps. He was directly responsible for the suffering and slaughter of millions of innocent people. Not that you’d know it reading jamesdjulia.com’s description of the shotgun coming up for auction:
Historic & Important Merkel Model 201E (Bockflinte) O/U 3-bbl set made especially for Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler and presented to him on his 41st Birthday Oct 7,1941 by the SS-Hauptamt. Complete w/ Merkel Factory Provenance.
Click here for more pics, which reveal a scope and an SS engraving. If I were in the auction biz, I wouldn’t want to touch this firearm. Literally. But that’s me. Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be buying anything from Mr. Julia anytime soon.