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Senate Committee Splits on Party Lines Over Gun Control Lobbyist’s ATF Nomination

Monday, June 28, 2021

Senate Committee Splits on Party Lines Over Gun Control Lobbyist’s ATF Nomination

Last Thursday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee split along party lines when voting whether to advance the nomination of David Chipman as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The vote underscored the hyper-partisan nature of Bidens choice to lead the agency that enforces federal gun control laws and regulates the nations network of licensed firearms manufacturers, dealers, and importers (FFLs).

Biden likes to stress Chipmans career as an ATF agent, but it is the nominees more recent gun control advocacy that makes him Biden’s ideal choice to lead the recently characterized “crackdown” on federal firearm licensees.

Chipman has served as a paid policy advisor for Michael Bloombergs Everytown for Gun Safety and currently works for Giffords, which lobbies Congress and state legislatures for an ever-expanding list of firearm prohibition measures.

The nominee acknowledged at his confirmation hearing that he supports the banning of so-called assault weapons,” but when asked to define that term, he repeatedly tried to duck the question. He has insisted, however, that the wildly popular AR-15 should be prohibited.

Pro-gun Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) characterized Chipman as a zealot” who is inappropriate to lead an agencywhose mission is to even-handedly apply the law.” He noted he would vote against the nominee out of concern that Chipman would stretch the law to cover an agenda” not authorized by Congress. 

Anti-gun Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MI), meanwhile, blamed the NRA for the Senates hesitancy to move forward with confirming a permanent ATF director.

Indeed, only determined pressure by Second Amendment supporters can prevent ATF from falling into the hands of ideological lackeys like Chipman, who would use the agencys authority to punish political enemies and suppress the rights of law-abiding gun owners, rather than to target violent criminals.

We have been happy to expose Chipmans record to public scrutiny and will continue to hold him accountable for promoting views and policies well out of step with respect for the Second Amendment.

Much discussion has also surrounded ATFs failure to turn over Chipmans personnel records, which could shed critical light on allegations that he, among other things, lost his own duty firearm and made what have been characterized as racist statements about fellow agents.

Whether or not those reports are ultimately confirmed, any senator concerned about Second Amendment rights has ample reason to vote no” on Chipmans confirmation.

The tie vote will require Democrats to engage in additional maneuvering to advance Chipmans nomination to a vote before the full Senate.  There is no indication, however, that they are ready to back off the controversial and divisive nominee, with Biden again calling for this confirmation in remarks from the White House last week.

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David Chipman
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Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.