KEN KRAWCHUK EXPLAINS HIS SOLUTION FOR GUN VIOLENCE
ABINGTON, PA – During a recent campaign livestream, Ken Krawchuk, the Libertarian nominee for Pennsylvania governor in 2018, took the time to explain his position on the right to bear arms, and offered some libertarian solutions to gun policy problems.
Krawchuk praised the phenomenon of student involvement in the recent protests in favor of gun control, saying that it reminded him of the days when he protested against the Vietnam draft himself. But he also opposes what they are protesting for.
“Obviously, the goal here is to save as many lives as possible,” Krawchuk said. “But you’re not going to eliminate guns. Criminals will always have guns, cops will always have guns…. They’ll always be here. So the question becomes, how do we save the most lives?”
Krawchuk cited a nationwide, county-level study done by John Lott, a researcher at the University of Chicago, which found that almost without fail, cities and towns with more guns experienced less gun crime. “From that, the conclusion I draw,” said Krawchuk, “is that gun control kills. So if you want to see as few deaths as possible, you should be supporting the right to keep and bear arms.” He also noted that according to a study by Northeastern University, mass shootings are actually on the decline, despite the media-generated perception of ever-increasing danger.
Krawchuk noted that President Obama commissioned the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to perform a study on gun violence. The CDC found several things: no evidence that gun restrictions reduced gun violence; no evidence that right-to-carry laws either increased or decreased violent crime; that gun turn-in programs are ineffective; and that a gun is the best choice for self-defense.
Furthermore, Krawchuk quoted the Pennsylvania Constitution, calling it “his job description”. He read from Article 1, Section 21: “The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the state shall not be questioned.” “I have no question what that means,” he said. “And when I’m governor of Pennsylvania, I’ll make sure that right is not questioned.”
“But, you say, there are still people getting killed! We want to stop that, don’t we?” Krawchuk said. “I’ve said this before: we cannot stop all violence.”
“Background checks aren’t going to do it,” he said. “They’re obviously not working now. I don’t like them because they’re too shallow, or they’re just flat-out incorrect. Or worse yet, they have information in there that really shouldn’t matter, for example, getting caught drinking underage. I don’t have any faith in these background checks. So we really need to try something new.”
Krawchuk suggested what he called a two-pronged approach: first, allowing courts to bar guns from people who are convicted of being irresponsible with a gun. Second, he proposed a system he called “chain of custody”, with which he wants to replace background checks. Under this system, each gun buyer would simply present to the gun seller a legally-binding statement, under penalty of perjury, that they have not been convicted of a gun-related crime.
“Now, some people are going to lie,” Krawchuk conceded. “But what it does is take the onus off of the gun dealer. These are honest people, the gun dealers, the gun manufacturers. But if the person lies on their statement, we put them away for a long, long time. And the chain of custody would just go right on down the line. If a person is caught doing a gun crime, we ask, ‘where did you get that from?’ The gun dealer can then present that signed statement and won’t be in any trouble. But the guy who did the shooting? He goes away for a long, long time.”
“To summarize: a gun is the best choice for defense. The right to keep and bear arms in defense of yourself and the state shall not be questioned. And gun control kills,” Krawchuk concluded. “If you’re tired of seeing dead people on the six-o’clock news, I ask you, please, vote for me, Ken Krawchuk, Libertarian for Pennsylvania governor. Because if people keep on voting the way they’ve been voting, they’re going to keep on getting just what they’ve been getting. I don’t know about you, but I have had enough.”
Krawchuk, 65, is an Information Technology entrepreneur from Abington, Pa. He has appeared on the gubernatorial ballot twice before, facing Democrat Ed Rendell in 2002 and Republican Tom Ridge in 1998. Because of Pennsylvania’s onerous ballot access laws, Krawchuk is the last third party or independent gubernatorial candidate to appear on the Pennsylvania ballot since 2002. His return to politics comes on the heels of his federal court victory in 2016 that ruled unconstitutional the $80,000+ fines that have been levied against statewide candidates who are unsuccessful in their attempt to appear on the November ballot.
Founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the state and the nation, with over 150 elected and appointed officials currently serving in office nationwide, and 40 in Pennsylvania. Libertarians are fiscally conservative and socially liberal, and like the Founding Fathers, Libertarians believe that you have the inalienable right to conduct your life as you see fit, without interference, so long as you respect the rights and property of others.
For more information about the Libertarian Party, the public is invited to contact the Krawchuk campaign at Campaign@KenK4Pa.com or (224) Krawchuk (224-572-9248), the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania at www.LPPA.org or (800) R-RIGHTS, or the National Libertarian Party at www.LP.org or (202) 333-0008