Earlier this evening, Gary Johnson was elected to be the Libertarian Party presidential nominee, achieving a 50% tally in the second ballot and securing his second straight LP nomination. Austin Petersen and John McAfee put up good fights, but weren’t able to attain enough votes necessary to win the nomination, coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
McAfee neglected to endorse Gary Johnson, but Austin Petersen made it clear from the beginning of his campaign that he would endorse whichever candidate the LP elected. While Petersen and Gary often had testy moments with each other in the debates, Austin stood by his word by endorsing Johnson after he won the candidacy.
As a token of good faith, Austin gave Johnson a replica of George Washington’s flintlock pistol, to let him know that he has Austin’s full support in the general election. Tearing up on the front stage of the convention floor, Austin said to Gary as he presented him with the pistol, “You have my sword, and you have my gun.”
Hours later, a number of delegates were reporting on social media that Johnson was seen tossing Austin’s pistol in the garbage. A husband and wife witnessed Johnson throwing out the pistol and retrieved it from the garbage. The pistol has since been returned to Austin Petersen and remains in his possession.
This story has been verified by numerous delegates at the convention, as well as a state coordinator for Austin Petersen. Entrepreneur and tech expert Israel Anderson was present in Austin’s hospitality suite when the gun was returned and can also confirm this story. The story has also been confirmed by libertarian talk show host Jason Stapleton.
