Libertarian pledge
The Libertarian pledge is a statement based on the non-aggression principle that individuals must sign in order to join the Libertarian Party of the United States, declares, "I hereby certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals." Libertarian Party founder David Nolan created the pledge in 1971. His goal was to convince government authorities that the LP was inherently not a violent organization, during a time when many political groups were using terroristic tactics.
The pledge is required by Section 5.1 of the national bylaws and many state affiliates of the Libertarian Party also have bylaw provisions requiring it. At the 2006 Libertarian National Convention, the Libertarian Reform Caucus attempted to repeal the pledge but failed to obtain the necessary two-thirds vote. There have been many proposals to change or eliminate the pledge.
A reference to the pledge was made on April 17, 2001 when, in response to Timothy McVeigh's description of himself as a libertarian, Libertarian Party national director Steve Dasbach said:
