On a party-line vote the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

"David Chipman is a senior policy advisor at Giffords. Previously, David served 25 years as a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). During his tenure, he disrupted firearms trafficking operations in Virginia that were supplying illegal guns to New York City, served as a member of ATF’s version of SWAT, and was named the Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Firearms Programs. During his tenure at the Department of Justice, David received the Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Community Partnerships for Public Safety in honor of his efforts aimed at preventing gun homicides in targeted US cities. In addition, David has served two terms on the Firearms Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police." -- Giffords.org

In favor of David Chipman being Director of the ATF

“He [Chipman] spent 25 years in law enforcement, the vast majority with ATF.  As an ATF special agent, he witnessed firsthand the real danger that gun crime and illicit gun trafficking pose to communities and the dangers, particularly, people in law enforcement face because of this.”

“As a responsible gun owner who has advocated for commonsense, constitutional gun safety measures—and as someone who has worked to bolster the health and safety of law enforcement [officers] -- Mr. Chipman is uniquely positioned to restore both credibility and accountability.” -- Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

“Our partnerships with ATF have proven invaluable in eliminating criminal organizations, fighting gun trafficking, and ensuring that the reasonable restrictions placed on gun possession are enforced without harming law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights… David Chipman is uniquely qualified to lead ATF. He has deep experience at that agency, and he is ready to work with law enforcement, the communities most heavily impacted by violence, and others to make our nation safer while upholding Americans’ Second Amendment rights.” – Seventeen State Attorneys General 

Opposed to David Chipman being Director of the ATF

“It concerns me that you as the nominee to be the director of the ATF would have such a flippant and, if I may say, so utterly condescending attitude toward first-time gun owners in this country,” Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) said. “In the interview, you openly mocked first-time gun owners saying they were more like Tiger King. Then advising them in quite a mockery to hide their gun ‘behind the cans of tuna and beef jerky they have stored in a cabinet and only bring that out if the zombies start to appear.’”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): “I vigorously opposed the nomination of David Chipman to be the new Director of ATF. He is the wrong man for the job at the wrong time. Mr. Chipman’s record on lawful and responsible gun ownership is horrible. His philosophy reduces the ability of lawful gun owners to protect themselves and their families. It is clear to me that criminals are not going to comply with new wide-ranging gun laws. We would just be making it harder for people to lawfully own weapons to protect themselves and their families at a time when there is a surge in crime and violence.”

“David Chipman spent the last 10 years unapologetically lobbying for gun control on Capitol Hill and getting paid to do Michael Bloomberg’s bidding. 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. While Chipman awaits consideration before the full U.S. Senate, NRA will continue to activate our members and the millions of law-abiding American gun owners across the country to contact their U.S. senators and urge them to vote against his confirmation,” said Jason Ouimet, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “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,” Collins wrote in a statement. “In recent years, Mr. Chipman has been an outspoken critic of the firearms industry and has made statements that demean law-abiding gun owners.”

“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.”

Should the Senate confirm David Chipman to serve as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)?