Ben Carson’s gun comments highlight free-wheeling style

Ben Carson suggested last week the Holocaust wouldn’t have happened if Jews in Europe were better armed. He argued that gun control is a bigger tragedy than a bullet-riddled body. He said the best way to confront a mass shooter is to rush the gunman.

The statements, after the mass shooting in Oregon that killed nine college students, have drawn no shortage of criticism, including from public-safety experts and the FBI. Carson’s commentary on gun policy is emblematic of his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.