• Breaking News
  • U.S. News
  • Contact
  • View Print Edition
    • CL Digital
  • Subscribe
Thursday, May 26, 2022
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
Advertise with us
The Chicago Leader
Donate Now
  • Home
    • Subscribe to the print newspaper
    • Scavenger Hunt Contest
    • Download Media Kit PDF
    • Ad submission
    • Sponsors
  • World
    Smallpox

    Monkeypox Outbreak in the US

    Bahamas

    Bahamas Mysterious Deaths Puzzles Tourists

    Mexico

    Mexico Is One of the Most Dangerous Countries for Reporters

    Trending Tags

    • Breaking News
    • Health
    • Coronavirus
    • coronavirus pandemic
  • U.S. News
    • All
    • Black History
    • Chicago
    • Illinois
    hurricane

    The Gulf Coast Must Prepare for a Possibly Devastating Hurricane Season

    Shooting

    Shooting in Chicago Leaves 2 Dead

    US

    US, Spain, and Portugal Identify Monkeypox Patients

    Trending Tags

    • U.S.
    • U.S. Census
    • Politics
  • Business
    • All
    • Jobs
    Barbie

    Barbie Continues to Be Inclusive With Its Dolls

    Ohio

    Ohio Doctor Free From Murder Charges

    Jones

    Alex Jones Infowars Files for Bankruptcy

    Trending Tags

    • Wall Street
    • Trump
    • Bankruptcy
    • Federal Reserve Bank
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Arts
    • Book Review
    • Chicago Film Office
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Review
    Wizard Of Oz

    ‘Wizard of Oz’ Long Loss Dress

    thor

    Thor: Love and Thunder Releases With Some Mysterious Questions

    streaming

    Best Deals for National Streaming Day 2022

    Trending Tags

    • Movies
    • marvel movies
    • Dancing
  • Sports
  • Science
    • All
    • CBD
    • Climate
    • Marijuana
    Salamander

    Salamanders Remarkable Ability to ‘Fly’

    Octopus

    Octopus Mothers Die After Laying Eggs

    black hole

    Black Hole of the Milky Way Galaxy First Seen

    Trending Tags

    • UFO
    • Coronavirus
    • Novel coronavirus
    • coronavirus pandemic
    • NASA
    • scientists
  • Health
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Faith
    • food
    • homeopathy
    • mental health
    • prostate
    monkeypox

    Monkeypox Cases Detected Across the Globe

    Toxoplasma

    Toxoplasma Parasite Makes People More Attractive

    covid

    COVID Cases Alarmingly Back on the Rise

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Home
    • Subscribe to the print newspaper
    • Scavenger Hunt Contest
    • Download Media Kit PDF
    • Ad submission
    • Sponsors
  • World
    Smallpox

    Monkeypox Outbreak in the US

    Bahamas

    Bahamas Mysterious Deaths Puzzles Tourists

    Mexico

    Mexico Is One of the Most Dangerous Countries for Reporters

    Trending Tags

    • Breaking News
    • Health
    • Coronavirus
    • coronavirus pandemic
  • U.S. News
    • All
    • Black History
    • Chicago
    • Illinois
    hurricane

    The Gulf Coast Must Prepare for a Possibly Devastating Hurricane Season

    Shooting

    Shooting in Chicago Leaves 2 Dead

    US

    US, Spain, and Portugal Identify Monkeypox Patients

    Trending Tags

    • U.S.
    • U.S. Census
    • Politics
  • Business
    • All
    • Jobs
    Barbie

    Barbie Continues to Be Inclusive With Its Dolls

    Ohio

    Ohio Doctor Free From Murder Charges

    Jones

    Alex Jones Infowars Files for Bankruptcy

    Trending Tags

    • Wall Street
    • Trump
    • Bankruptcy
    • Federal Reserve Bank
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Arts
    • Book Review
    • Chicago Film Office
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Review
    Wizard Of Oz

    ‘Wizard of Oz’ Long Loss Dress

    thor

    Thor: Love and Thunder Releases With Some Mysterious Questions

    streaming

    Best Deals for National Streaming Day 2022

    Trending Tags

    • Movies
    • marvel movies
    • Dancing
  • Sports
  • Science
    • All
    • CBD
    • Climate
    • Marijuana
    Salamander

    Salamanders Remarkable Ability to ‘Fly’

    Octopus

    Octopus Mothers Die After Laying Eggs

    black hole

    Black Hole of the Milky Way Galaxy First Seen

    Trending Tags

    • UFO
    • Coronavirus
    • Novel coronavirus
    • coronavirus pandemic
    • NASA
    • scientists
  • Health
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Faith
    • food
    • homeopathy
    • mental health
    • prostate
    monkeypox

    Monkeypox Cases Detected Across the Globe

    Toxoplasma

    Toxoplasma Parasite Makes People More Attractive

    covid

    COVID Cases Alarmingly Back on the Rise

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • English
  • Spanish
No Result
View All Result
Chicago Leader
No Result
View All Result

ATF Director Nominee an Ardent Gun Control Advocate May Face Opposition

by Cathy Milne-Ware
April 16, 2021
in Headlines, Politics, U.S. News
0
ATF
0
SHARES
2
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Don't like to read?

Temporary directors have led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) since 2015. The gun lobbyists on both sides made sure nominees did not become official ATF heads, and David Chipman, President Joe Biden’s choice, may not win Senate approval either. His nomination announcement was made on Wednesday evening, according to NPR on April 8, and was received by Congress on April 14, 2021.

The White House also stated the Justice Department would pursue new ordinances against stabilizing braces and “ghost guns.” Patrick J. Kiger explains:

Such weapons are assembled by individuals from parts or kits or that include one unfinished piece — typically the frame or receiver — that requires the purchaser to do some drilling to make the gun fully functional.

Rather than ghost guns, Biden’s ATF nominee says he prefers calling them “privately made firearms.”

Who Is David Chipman?

If confirmed, Chipman would return to the ATF, where he worked as a special agent for 25 years. During his time as an agent, he disrupted gun trafficking enterprises in Virginia that ATFwere supplying illegal guns to New York City, served as a member of the ATF Special Response Team (SRT), and was the Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Firearms Programs.

Chipman, at Detriot native, is a senior policy adviser for former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords’ Courage to Fight Gun Violence. She became a gun control advocate after being shot in 2011. Giffords says he is the perfect choice to be the ATF Director.

Giffords says the agency needs a strong, experienced leader like Chipman. “As a former ATF agent, from day one, David will be able to address the most pressing issues facing the bureau, including reducing gun violence in this country.”

Paul LeBlanc reporting for CNN, writes the nominee holds an undergraduate degree from American University and a master’s in management from Johns Hopkins University.

Chipman states he is a specialist in three fields from his LinkedIn profile: violent crime reduction, interagency liaison, and certified explosive. He notes his expertise in law enforcement and assault weapons, the gun industry, and ghost guns on Giffords.

ATF Nominee’s Gun Control Advocacy

Chipman became a senior adviser at Everytown for Gun Safety after leaving the ATF in 2012. His Linkedin profile states in that capacity, he was consulted by lawmakers considering gun legislation frequently.

Before taking Giffords’ position in 2016, he spent three years serving as senior vice president of Public Safety Solutions.

ATFLeBlanc explained it is in these roles that the nominee’s gun control advocacy was elevated.

He made media appearances and wrote op-eds; frequently.

In a 2013 piece published on Politico, he wrote that he knows “all too well how serious our gun violence problem is and how desperately the [ATF] lacks for the law enforcement tools that are necessary to help curb this national epidemic.”

He wrote about the country’s gun safety laws. Chipman said the laws make it too easy for guns to fall into the wrong hands. He complained that since Congress failed to deal with the problem legislatively, that the ATF needs to step in and demonstrate strong leadership surrounding the issue.

In a 2019 interview with PBS NewsHour, he talked about gun magazines. “A 100-round magazine is just not traditional. It’s not normal. And I can’t think of a purpose beyond killing a lot of people.” He believes a 10-round magazine is enough but says there is room for progress.

During a conversation with Chipman, he told CNN that the significant uptick in United States background checks during the COVID-19 pandemic should raise flags requiring attention. Why did so many people feel the need to buy guns this past summer? The ATF nominee added:

My biggest concern involves the potential number of first-time gun buyers who, before March, did not think they needed a gun.

ATF Nominee’s Critics May Block Director Appointment

Chipman’s critics have powerful allies in Congress that could block his appointment as the ATF director. Moreover, his nomination has Senate Republicans on edge as they believe Democratic gun control measures will end American citizens’ Second Amendment rights.

GOP legislators frequently make this complaint — vocally and visually using photos featuring themselves and their gun collections. In a recent visit with FOX host Chris Wallace, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham talked about the most recent Democrat-based gun control legislation.

He said there is nothing wrong with debating the issue. Conversely, Graham states the legislation will not pass: “It would not only fail; the Democrats would not get 50 votes and certainly not the 60 needed for the bill to pass.” He added that he owns an AR-15 that he plans to use for home protection should the need arise.

One of the largest gun lobbyists, the National Rifle Association, publically denounced Chipman’s ATF nomination because he is an extremist. The NRA points to the nominee’s comments in October 2018, favoring regulating AR-15s the same as machine guns are under the National Firearms Act, which requires owners to register their weapons.

ATFChipman added, “I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all that you have to pass a background check to own a weapon of war.”

But the registry has a one-year backlog, states the NRA. “It’s hard to imagine choosing a nominee who is more hostile to the rights of American gun owners than Chipman.”

Republican senators are anxious to thwart the nominee’s approval. Josh Hawley (R- Mo.) is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He calls Chipman’s nomination radical. He cannot imagine himself supporting an anti-firearms activist.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ariz.), also on the Judiciary, tweeted the ATF nominee is a “gun-grabber” who believes in “wild conspiracy.” Other Republican Judiciary committee members, such as Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, added they had not researched Chipman deeply. Nonetheless, they expressed deep concern about what they had read thus far.

Republican senators will most likely nix the ATF nominee, but since Chipman’s confirmation only requires a majority vote, Democrats are confident that Vice President Kamala Harris will break the 50-50 tie. However, their constituents are gun owners who do not want to lose their Second Amendment rights.

The ATF confirmation hearing is not yet on the Senate calendar, although, Chipman’s name does appear in the list of Biden administration nominees list.

Written  by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

CNN: Biden’s planned pick for ATF director a fierce advocate for gun control; by Paul LeBlanc
NPR: Biden To Nominate Gun Control Advocate, Law Enforcement Veteran To Lead ATF; by Chloee Weiner
HowStuffWorks: What Are Ghost Guns and Why Are They So Dangerous? By Patrick J. Kiger.
Giffords: David Chipman Bio
Courthouse News: Biden ATF Pick Faces Pushback From Gun Rights Activists; by Kaila Philo
Daily Beast: Biden’s Pro-Gun Control ATF Pick Has Republicans Up in Arms; by Sam Broady

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Michael Saechang’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of CL Holmes’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image Courtesy of Fibonacci Blue’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

Tags: ATF
Cathy Milne-Ware

Cathy Milne-Ware

Cathy Milne-Ware is the Editor-in-Chief for Frackle Media and lead instructor for St. Agatha's News School. She enjoys helping youth discover their unlocked potential and find their voice. Her goal is to teach youth the power of words and effective communication skills, including critical thinking and a sense of belonging. Cathy strives to be an advocate and mentor for each intern.

Next Post
McCrory

'Penny Dreadful' Star Helen McCrory Dies at 52

Recent Posts

  • The Gulf Coast Must Prepare for a Possibly Devastating Hurricane Season
  • Salamanders Remarkable Ability to ‘Fly’
  • Amazon One Day 60 Percent Reduction Off WD and SanDisk Storage [Video]

Newsletter

Loading
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Ad submission
  • Contact
  • Team
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • FAQ
  • Mission

© 2018 TNS - TNS theme by Frackle TNSthemes.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Politics
  • World
  • Business
  • Science
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • Movie
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Health and Lifestyle
  • View Print Edition
  • Subscribe to the print newspaper
  • Contact

© 2018 TNS - TNS theme by Frackle TNSthemes.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Posting....

Support independent local journalism by subscribing to the Chicago Leader print
and digital publication for just $15 a year.

Subscribe Now