Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson reiterate his belief that the Holocaust might have been prevented if more Jews had owned guns.

Brushing away criticism from historians, Jewish groups and anti-Semitism watchdogs, Carson insisted in an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” that strict gun control laid the groundwork for the Nazi genocide.

“It’s not hyperbole at all,” the retired neurosurgeon said in the show aired nationwide on Sunday. “Whether it’s on our doorstep or whether it’s 50 years away, it’s still a concern, and it’s something we must defend against.”

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Carson also suggested the history of the Nazis’ rise to power could repeat in the U.S. if access to guns were to be limited.

Carson, who has risen sharply in the polls, has made a number of controversial remarks regarding guns recently, which appear to have struck a positive chord with ultra-conservative Tea Party supporters.

Historians say Jews would not have been able to prevent the Nazis’ genocide regardless of their levels of gun ownership and the Anti-Defamation League has branded the claim as an anti-Semitic canard.

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