Kurt Darling
https://www.wibc.com/news/local-indiana/sen-mike-braun-rails-against-bidens-atf-nominee/
WASHINGTON — President Biden is still bringing up people as nominees for posts within his administration now seven months into his term in the White House.
Biden is nominating David Chipman to be the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Chipman is a former ATF agent who spent 25 years with the bureau monitoring illegal firearm trafficking.
After his time with the ATF he worked for Giffords, which is a gun control advocacy group, whose mission is to “stand up for the Second Amendment while also standing up for stronger gun laws that keep us safe.”
Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) believes that it’s Chipman’s advocacy for stricter gun control laws that disqualifies him from being a viable candidate to lead the ATF.
“His statements have made one thing clear. If confirmed he will fail to uphold the constitutional right to bear arms,” Braun said on the Senate floor Thursday. “He has stated under oath that he supports mandatory federal registration of common semi-automatic firearms and ultimately supports a ban on AR-15 rifles.”
As Chipman’s nomination comes to the forefront, Braun said he is support legislation introduced by fellow Republican in the House, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, to better hold the ATF accountable for the decisions it makes regarding the legal status of certain firearms called the ATF Accountability Act.
It provides clarity and procedures to make it easier for gun owners and dealers to be able to appeal certain decisions made by the bureau.
“American gun owners, manufacturers, and small business owners deserve clarity in the right to appeal politicized decisions made by the ATF,” Braun said. “Currently the ATF engages in secretive, behind the scenes classification in a review process to decide if a firearm will be regulated by the National Firearms Act. No law-abiding American should have to wonder if they are suddenly going to be made a criminal by a bureaucratic decision. It doesn’t make sense.”
Braun feels that if Chipman were to be confirmed as head of the ATF this process would continue. He added that Chipman’s beliefs represent a direct attack on citizens’ Second Amendment rights.
