Give it up Biden: Anti gun Chipman as ATF Director “wrong man for the job” former ATF Agents, Gun rights groups
Has David Chipman’s ATF Nomination Run Out of Gas?
by Dave Workman for Ammoland
It has been four months since Joe Biden nominated David Chipman, the retired federal agent-turned-gun-control-advocate, to head the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and now NPR has reported the nominee’s chances of “gaining Senate confirmation appear to be dwindling in the face of firm Republican opposition and a few holdouts in the chamber’s Democratic caucus.
”Chipman was an ATF agent for 25 years, but since his retirement he has essentially come out of the closet as a gun control proponent who acknowledged to the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing weeks ago that he supports a ban on so-called “assault weapons.” He has lately been working for the Giffords gun prohibition lobbying group as a “policy expert and advocate,” NPR said.
His nomination has been dramatically overshadowed by events in Afghanistan and Biden’s disastrous handling of the military pullout, along with his repeated time checking while observing the arrival of the remains of 13 servicemen and women killed in a bomb blast in Kabul.
A coalition of anti-gun activist groups—Guns Down America, March for Our Lives, the Newtown Action Alliance and Survivors Empowered—send a letter to Biden last week demanding that he live up to his campaign promises about gun control.
“Mr. President,” the groups wrote, “you pledged to ‘bring Democrats and Republicans together in the United States Congress to pass big things, to deal with big issues’ and stressed that your past success in passing gun reform in the Senate will translate into your ability to advance life-saving measures once elected President. Yet we have not seen you publicly pressure key Senators to support bipartisan House-passed legislation that would strengthen our nation’s background check system and you have not advocated for the repeal of the filibuster, an archaic tool that creates a major impediment to legislative reform.
”Estimating that “more than 28,000 Americans have lost their lives to gun violence” so far in 2021, this gun control coalition is calling on the embattled president to take three key steps toward fulfilling his restrictive campaign pledges.
Here’s what they outlined in their letter:1. Establish an Office of Gun Violence Prevention in order to streamline the government’s efforts to reduce violence, recognize gun violence as a national security crisis and a public health and prevention priority, and establish a long-term sustained effort to reduce gun deaths.
2. Unveil a comprehensive strategy and proactive plan for pursuing your legislative agenda on gun reform in a way that creates a viable pathway for securing passage of these critical initiatives while supporters of reform still hold a narrow majority in the Senate, eliminating the filibuster if necessary.
3. Use the presidential bully pulpit to talk to Americans about the risks and dangers of firearm ownership within the home and in our communities while also highlighting successful community efforts and legislative reforms that have saved lives across the nation.
According to Politico, gun control activists “are worried they won’t be able to spur voter turnout in the midterm elections next year because of a lack of policy accomplishments on some of their key issues
.”A low turnout of Biden’s voter base could lead to a repeat of the 1994 mid-term elections when gun owners and fiscal conservatives descended on the polls to throw out more than 50 Democrats who had supported then-President Bill Clinton’s gun control measures. Biden has repeatedly recalled how he pushed the Brady Bill on Capitol Hill, but now it may come back to haunt him, along with the ghosts of those murdered military personnel.
Politico also revealed that White House officials “have held regular meetings with prominent groups pushing for gun restrictions.”But the lynchpin in all of Biden’s gun control scheming could be the Chipman confirmation. Right now, his chances appear to be evaporating, but that will depend upon some key Senate Democrats such as Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Maine’s Independent Sen. Angus King. Questions have been raised about alleged racist comments Chipman made about Black ATF agents scoring higher than expected on an agency exam. That issue has yet to be resolved.In early August, Politico reported King had been signaling he was a “No” vote on Chipman.
Maine is a gun friendly state with lots of hunters and gun owners, the article noted.However, the holdouts have not flatly stated they will vote against Chipman while Republicans are holding firm in their opposition. They could change their minds, as Political intimated about King.But with the nation focused on Biden’s Afghanistan debacle, the Chipman nomination gets pushed farther back into the shadows, where political dust has been known to gather.
More than three weeks ago, even CNN was reporting bad vibes, saying the Chipman nomination was “nearing collapse.” The longer it waits, the less likely confirmation becomes, CNN seemed to indicate.
Seven retired ATF agents warned the Senate in a letter that Chipman was not the man for the ATF chief:
August 3, 2021
Dear Senators Durbin and Grassley:
We are writing to you today as career ATF agents and investigators who have committed their professional careers to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, believe deeply in its vital and unique law enforcement mission, and have worked at the Bureau during David Chipman’s time there. Having been at the Bureau with David we are unfortunately brought to the conclusion that he is the wrong man for the job and should not be confirmed to lead the Bureau.
Having been at the Bureau at the same time as Mr. Chipman and having followed his career after he left the Bureau, we are very familiar with his leadership style and his approach to leading the agency. While an agent, David did not exhibit the collaborative and respectful type of leadership required of an agency Director that must manage a diverse workforce with challenging issues. While we can say without hesitation that David is very smart, we can also say without hesitation that he was very often not a team player and had a troubling tendency to think he was always right.
We are also concerned about his ability to lead a large organization like the ATF. ATF has over 2000 sworn agents, over 700 investigators, a workforce of over 5000, and a budget of over $1.4 billion. David has never led an organization anywhere near that size and scope. While in the Bureau he never progressed to the Senior Executive Service or to senior leadership within the agency. Putting David in charge of ATF would be like asking a small business owner to lead a Fortune 500 company. Even though he was an ATF agent, David would be the least qualified individual to lead the agency in its history.
Finally, David’s strong personal beliefs on firearms issues will create serious and long-lasting problems for the Bureau and the effective execution of its law enforcement mission. We relied on effective partnerships with industry, stakeholders, and other law enforcement agencies to execute our missions. Unfortunately, if David were confirmed, ATF partners would see someone who is coming to the agency with his top priority being to implement a divisive gun control agenda. The suspicion and hostility his leadership will bring will destroy those partnerships, and the prosecution of gun crimes and other violent crimes, will suffer.
As career ATF employees we saw the Bureau neglected because it lacked a Senate Confirmed Director to advocate for our agency. We want a Senate Confirmed Director. Unfortunately, David Chipman is the wrong person for that job, and brought us to the unenviable position of having to ask you reject Mr. Chipman’s nomination and find a less-controversial leader.
ATF needs a Director whose personal beliefs about gun ownership would not be a distraction from the critically important work of the men and women of ATF. A nominee with a proven track record of leadership, fairness, and diplomacy is not only needed for the Director’s position, it is necessary to ensure that ATF can execute on its mission – David Chipman is not that nominee.
Sincerely,…..More at the Reload
Background
Sen . Chuck Grassley: “We have Mr. Chipman. Ever since Mr. Chipman was announced I have been hearing from alarmed constituents who care about their rights under the Second Amendment. Mr. Chipman seems to have worked for every prominent gun control group in the country. He’s been described by CNN as “a fierce advocate for gun control.” There isn’t a liberal hobbyhorse on guns that he hasn’t ridden—whether it’s misleading the public about modern sport rifles, arguing against popular magazine sizes or advocating for universal background checks. Of particular concern is the contempt with which he seems to view ordinary Americans who buy or carry firearms. To pick just one example, he said last year, “If you keep [the gun store] open, there’s the risk of first-time buyers who are largely buying out of fear and panic and untrained.”
“ATF is a significant law-enforcement agency. We mostly hear about it when it messes up, whether it’s Waco, Operation Fast and Furious or the Chicago stash-house scandals. But day-to-day ATF plays a significant role in the legal trade of firearms in this country. Many see putting a committed gun control proponent like Mr. Chipman in charge of ATF is like putting a Tobacco executive in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services or Antifa in charge of the Portland Police Department. I hope he can alleviate those fears.” Sen Grassley official website.
David H. Chipman, nominee to be Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, advanced out of Committee with a vote of 11-11, with every Committee Democrat voting “aye.” Under the provisions of S. Res. 27, Leader Schumer may now file a discharge motion on Mr. Chipman’s nomination to place him on the executive calendar.
“Today’s party-line vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee on David Chipman’s nomination to head the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives underscores the toxicity of his choice by Joe Biden to head the agency,” said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. “His extremist views on gun ownership, combined with his background as a gun control advocate for the gun prohibition lobby should automatically disqualify him for the position he seeks. CCRKBA will continue to encourage our members and supporters, and millions of honest gun owners to keep contacting their Senate members and urge a ‘No’ vote on his confirmation when it goes before the full Senate.” CCRKB released a response on the Chipman vote.
“After meeting with Mr. Chipman, listening to Mainers, and reviewing his record, I have decided to vote against Mr. Chipman’s nomination to serve as the ATF Director. In recent years, Mr. Chipman has been an outspoken critic of the firearms industry and has made statements that demean law-abiding gun owners.”” said the moderate Senator of Maine, Susan Collins.
“ Although he has the right to express his views, I believe this history makes him an unusually divisive pick for this important position. In particular, I am concerned that his confirmation would do significant damage to the collaborative working relationship that must exist between ATF, the firearms industry, sportsmen and women, and other law-abiding gun owners exercising their Second Amendment rights,”
Former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Director Michael Sullivan wrote that David Chipman, President Joe Biden’s (D) nominee to lead the ATF, would comprise the mission of the organization in a recent opinion piece, America’s 1st Freedom warned.
“We’ve written quite a bit (here, here, here, here, and here) about how Chipman—a man who has spent the last several years as a high-profile, anti-gun lobbyist—is truly unqualified to serve as Director of ATF. But we haven’t touched on one aspect of his written testimony that has recently come to light in a number of news articles, NRA, ILA warned.
Sen. Chuck Grassley: ‘Confirming David Chipman to ATF like putting Antifa in charge of Portland Police’ Lawenforcement Today weighed in.
Others such as obsessive anti gunners, Gabby Gifford, Bloomberg, with whom Chipman is associated are lobbying hard for his confirmation as head of ATF.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and 20 other state attorneys general today called on the U.S. Senate to reject David Chipman’s confirmation as director of the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), citing concerns over his approach to public safety and Americans’ right to keep and bear arms.
In a letter to U.S. Senate Republican and Democratic leadership, Knudsen and the coalition of attorneys general outlined the threat President Joe Biden’s ATF nominee would pose to law-abiding gun owners if confirmed to lead the agency responsible for regulating firearms. Chipman has a long history of anti-gun rights lobbying and activism.
“Mr. Chipman has a First Amendment right as a private citizen to work for these political organizations and to lobby for the taxation, registration, and even confiscation of firearms. Americans likewise have the Second Amendment to protect their God-given rights to keep and bear arms,” Knudsen and the attorneys general wrote. “Accordingly, we ask you to oppose Mr. Chipman’s confirmation to this important position and demand President Biden nominate someone who is not hostile to our rights and way of life.”
ATF agents play an important role in upholding the public safety of communities around the country and will be disserved by an agency director with a political agenda. Americans’ Second Amendment rights do not need to be infringed to keep them safe from violent criminals.
“Its agents deserve a director who will inspire confidence from the people they serve. Given Mr. Chipman’s history of anti-gun lobbying and political activism, Americans cannot be reasonably expected to believe he will be an unbiased enforcer of current laws,” the letter stated. “As the chief legal and law enforcement officers in our respective states, we are concerned that Mr. Chipman will make Americans less safe by diverting ATF resources to attack the rights of law-abiding gun owners instead of cracking down on violent criminals and criminal organizations.”
Attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and West Virginia also signed onto Knudsen’s letter below :
Dear Senators:
May 25, 2021
The Honorable A. Mitchell McConnell Minority Leader
United States Senate
317 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley Ranking Member
Committee on the Judiciary Washington, D.C. 20510
The Second Amendment is the cornerstone of the Bill of Rights. It guarantees our natural God-given right to defend our lives, our families, our property, and our freedom. The confirmation of David Chipman to head the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) is an attack on that right and on the millions of law-abiding gun owners across the country.
As state Attorneys General, we took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and protect the rights and freedoms of our constituents. These responsibilities force us to stand in opposition to Mr. Chipman’s nomination and in support of our constituents’ rights.
Firearms are far beyond a hobby or a passion. They are a part of our national heritage and everyday life for tens of millions of Americans, particularly those of us who live in rural areas. We use them to hunt, protect livestock, and provide peace of mind when law enforcement may be miles away. This is why Mr. Chipman’s past affiliation with anti-gun organizations and his extreme positions on commonly owned firearms is so concerning to us as attorneys general and why he is unfit to be confirmed as head of the ATF.
Mr. Chipman has a long history with organizations whose mission is to erase the Second Amendment. He has spent the last five years as a senior policy advisor for the Giffords Law Center. This radical group attempted to defend Washington, D.C.’s complete ban on the possession of handguns in the home at the U.S. Supreme Court. This organization argued that “nothing in the Second Amendment restrains the authority of States or their political subdivisions” when enacting firearm regulations. This extreme position would allow politicians to run roughshod over the rights of their citizens. Fortunately, it did not prevail.
His direct advocacy has targeted mainstream gun owners. The AR-15 is one of, if not the most, popular rifles in America to the point news reports have called it “America’s rifle.” More and more Americans are seeing the utility and value of the AR-15 – demonstrating that yet again Mr. Chipman is out of touch with the mainstream.
In 2019 Congressional testimony, Mr. Chipman said he wants to ban the manufacturing and future sale of AR-15s. In his dream scenario, the millions of law- abiding Americans who already own these popular rifles would need to pay a $200 tax, subject themselves to fingerprinting and another federal background check, and have that information stored in a federal registration system.
It is indisputable that an extremely small percentage of gun crimes are committed with AR-15s – a fact that should be well known to a former ATF agent. Given Mr. Chipman’s radical views and disdain for the facts, it is not a stretch to wonder if he wants owners of any type of firearm placed in a government registry. More people are murdered with sharp objects than with any type of rifle. Does he believe letter openers should also be taxed and registered?
The ATF has an important role to play in upholding the public safety of communities around the country. Its agents deserve a director who will inspire confidence from the people they serve. Given Mr. Chipman’s history of anti-gun lobbying and political activism, Americans cannot be reasonably expected to believe he will be an unbiased enforcer of current laws. As chief law enforcement or legal officers in our respective states, we are concerned that Mr. Chipman will make Americans less safe by diverting ATF resources to attack the rights of law-abiding gun owners instead of cracking down on violent criminals and criminal organizations.
Mr. Chipman has a First Amendment right as a private citizen to work for these political organizations and to lobby for the taxation, registration, and even confiscation of firearms. Americans likewise have the Second Amendment to protect their God-given rights to keep and bear arms. Accordingly, we ask you to oppose Mr. Chipman’s confirmation to this important position and demand President Biden nominate someone who is not hostile to our rights and way of life.
Sincerely,
Austin Knudsen
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MONTANA
NRA objects to Chipman, but he is rabid anti gunner Gifford’s man: