For Immediate Release

Nicholas Sarwark, Chair of the Libertarian National Committee, issued the following statement today:

Despite the horrific loss of life and the dozens more injured by a spiteful, deranged shooter in Orlando yesterday, the forces of hate are losing the battle against the vast majority of peaceful individuals who wantsocial tolerance. But Americans remain at risk of more mass shootings.

Hundreds of individuals from all backgrounds lined up in the Florida heat for hours to give blood to the victims of this tragedy. Millions of Americans nationwide share the grief of this moment and express their sympathy in vigils and social media. The outpouring of love and support from caring people is what truly makes America great.

Government can neither protect us from people who hate, nor can it provide the love and support of people who, by nature, care for their fellow man. But government can greatly reduce the likelihood of mass shootings by getting out of the way of people who want to defend themselves and others.

Without missing a beat, old party politicians recycled their calls for more failed and deadly policies.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump demonizes Muslims, failing to distinguish hateful and mentally illindividuals from the millions of peaceful Muslims who strongly condemn acts of violence.

Democrat Barack Obama calls for more deadly restrictions and prohibitions on the rights of peaceful, responsible gun owners to stop shooters and minimize their impact.

The Libertarian Party is the only political party calling for sensible, serious policy change that would reduce the frequency of mass shootings as well as minimize the damage they do .

Virtually all mass shootings happen in ‘gun-free’ zones. Regardless of the ideology of the shooter or the type of weapons used, the common link is that the event occurs where responsible gun owners are prohibited from carrying arms forself-defense.

The Pulse nightclub was a ‘gun-free’ zone.

The Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California was a ‘gun-free’ zone.

The Bataclan nightclub in Paris was a ‘gun-free’ zone .

The schools in Newtown, Connecticut and Columbine, Colorado were ‘gun-free’ zones.

Fort Hood was a ‘gun-free’ zone.

In each of these mass killings, the government prohibited people from exercising their life-saving right to self-defense.

Government-mandated ‘gun-free’ zones disarm those who want to defend themselves and their loved ones.

‘Gun-free’ zones create killing fields for mass murderers who, by definition, do not care what the law says.

Self-defense is a fundamental human right. Every person has a right to defend herself and her loved ones against someone who would do them harm. When government takes away the right of self-defense, it is violating a fundamental human right and endangering its citizens.

The choice of whether and how to defend oneself is a profoundly personal one. The government should not mandate that every American carry a weapon for personal self-defense, nor should it mandate that every American must rely on police for protection.

The beauty of the right to self-defense is that it keeps the criminals guessing as to who has a gun and who does not. This deters mass shooters from even trying.

The Libertarian Party supports freedom of choice and calls for the government to stop denying our human rights.

Our thoughts, prayers, and love go out to the friends and families of those slain or harmed in Orlando. We owe it to them, and to all citizens, to do what we can to stop tragedies like this in the future

How many more mass shootings will occur before we demand that our government stop violating our fundamental human right to self-defense?

No more government-mandated’gun-free’ zones. No more government-created killing fields where madmen can slay innocent people.

No more!