The ATF Won’t Be Run By Chipman

“The White House will withdraw the nomination of David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,” CNN is reporting.

And so, with anonymous leaks to favored news outlets, the Biden administration is pulling back the nomination of Chipman, an anti-Second Amendment activist who worked as a senior adviser for the gun-control groups Mayors Against Illegal Guns and, more recently, for Giffords. The Biden administration couldn’t secure the votes in the U.S. Senate to put Chipman in charge of an agency that regulates licensed gun dealers, as well as enforces many of the federal laws that impact our right to keep and bear arms.

However, a “senior administration official” reportedly did tell CNN that the Biden administration does expect to place Chipman in “a non-confirmed job in the administration.” Will this be as a gun-control tsar? President Joe Biden (D) did once promise such a role to Beto O'Rourke, the former congressman who said, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15.”

Every Republican in the U.S. Senate had opposed confirming Chipman. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had even asked the White House to withdraw its nomination of this “anti-gun extremist.”

Senator Angus King (I-Maine) told the Biden administration he would not support Chipman’s nomination, while some Democrats in the Senate were non-committal.

The NRA rallied its millions of members to oppose the Biden administration’s attempt to put this anti-Second Amendment radical in charge of the ATF.

“This critical win is thanks to NRA members who flooded their senators’ offices with texts, emails, letters and phone calls voicing their opposition to Chipman’s nomination. Because of their swift action and ongoing opposition over the past several months, the radical gun control advocate will not sit at the helm of the ATF,” said Jason Ouimet, executive director, National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action. “For now, gun owners can rest assured the most immediate threat to their rights has been defeated, and gun control proponents have suffered a huge setback.”

“David Chipman is an unhinged gun-grabber. His defeat is a win for the Constitution—and a crushing loss for Joe Biden.” –Tweeted Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)

“Glad to hear reports the White House is taking my advice and pulling the terrible nomination of David Chipman. Absurd that a vocal opponent of Americans’ constitutional rights was ever picked to run ATF. This is a win for the Second Amendment and law-abiding American citizens.” –Tweeted Sen. McConnell

Chipman, of course, isn’t just a gun-control activist; he also made wild and very provably untrue statements about his time serving in the ATF. He did poorly when he appeared before the U.S. Senate because he had an unconstitutional agenda and a lot to hide. Allegations of racism and more were also circulating.

As this was being written, the Biden administration had not announced another candidate for this position. It is difficult to imagine a worse choice than Chipman, but we’ll keep you informed.