The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee split along party lines today over whether to recommend David Chipman to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Chipman must still be confirmed by the full Senate, but the Senate rarely approves executive nominations if a committee reports a nominee as unfavorable. The party-line vote could predict a similar vote in the Senate, where Democrats hold the tie-breaking advantage with Vice President Kamala Harris.
“The tie will require Senate Democrats to jump through some procedural hurdles to advance Chipman’s nomination, but it is not an insurmountable roadblock,” according to Reuters.
Chipman is a longtime gun control advocate, has voiced support for a ban on “assault weapons,” and has spoken contemptuously of new gun owners.
“David Chipman spent the last 10 years unapologetically lobbying for gun control on Capitol Hill and getting paid to do Michael Bloomberg’s bidding,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Jason Ouimet. “He supports extreme, unconstitutional restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms, and today’s party-line vote in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee affirms the reality that he is unfit to lead ATF.”
SEE ALSO: NRA-ILA: Did ATF Nominee David Chipman Lose his Duty Firearm?
By contrast, the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety called Chipman “uniquely qualified to lead the ATF.” Chipman has previously worked as an advisor for Everytown.
“Gun violence continues to dominate daily life in the United States, highlighting the urgent need for a permanent director of the ATF, and David Chipman is the right person with the right experience for the job.” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, an Everytown sub-group. “David is someone who will ensure that the agency is doing everything in its power to stop guns from ending up in the hands of those who shouldn’t have them, before they can be used to injure and kill.”
During the hearing, Republicans blasted Chipman as a gun-control activist who would pursue radical gun control actions and attack civil liberties.
“Mr. Chipman wants to ban assault weapons, but can’t seem to explain what an assault weapon is,” said Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. “Mr. Chipman has repeatedly mocked gun owners as rubes. There isn’t a prominent gun controller he hasn’t worked for. This nomination is like a Republican putting the NRA in charge of the ATF.”
“[The ATF] is an incompetent agency in need of reform,” Sen. Grassley continued. “But instead of a reformer, it gets an activist.”
SEE ALSO: David Chipman Just Testified in His Confirmation Hearing, and He’s Exactly Who We Thought He Was
Sen. Mike Lee quoted a social media post authored by Chipman in which the nominee advocated for arresting people “before committing crimes rather than responding after the fact” if they fail a background check to purchase a gun.
“That is a direct quote. He actually said that,” Sen. Lee said. “We don’t arrest people before they commit crimes. That’s the sort of thing reserved for bad post-apocalyptic dystopian novels and movies.”
There is currently no timeline for when the full Senate will take up Chipman’s nomination.
Click here to watch the full hearing. Discussion on Chipman starts at 39:12.
All I got to say what a piece of s**t. Ditto.
All I got to say what a piece of s***
P.O.S.
If he’s voted down blithering Biden’s handlers will nominate lon horiuchi
If Cruz was this brilliant on the campaign trail he’d do well. Unfortunately he turns into a high pitched voice blathering fool during debate.
He’s starting to become a Trump clown in the public eye.
He’d do well to pull away from Trump and be himself….
I wonder how many otherwise moderates are driven to the extreme right due to the Democrats stance on firearms.
Moderates aren’t driven to the extreme right. It’s that Democrats have gone so extremely left that they’ve made what used to be centrist Democrats look like solid conservatives.
Just goes to show where Biden is at with gun control by putting this guy as the ATF director. If he’s voted down the next one will be the same!
Chipman has already said that an “assault weapon” is “anything Congress says it is” and if “The Butcher Of Waco” is confirmed then he will define it as “Anything I say it is.” He looks like the ultimate horrible person.
Chip man is not anyone that should be paid with taxpayers money! Or Constitution was written they way it was because of people like him! He has to take a oath of office in which he’s already violated many times ! He unfit just like the entire administration in office today ! Anyone that violates there oath should be arrested and charged with high crimes and Treason against the people of the UNITED STATES 🇺🇸!
The Butcher of Waco should be in PRISON for murdering Americans, not running BATFE.
Absolutely! After Waco, BATF came to stand for “Burn All Toddlers First!”
The guy looks like a dam weasel. He wants our guns.
Hey, Congress, approve Chipmonk, the creep, at your own political peril. America will never, ever forget…