The Biden administration’s plan to withdraw gun-control advocate David Chipman’s nomination to head up the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) should be greeted with a huge sigh of relief for gun owners across America.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the decision told WaPo Thursday morning that Chipman’s nomination withdrawal comes amid a bipartisan pushback over his radical gun control advocacy.
Chipman, who worked at ATF for more than two decades and then joined major anti-gun organizations for years, was hugely opposed by Republicans and some Democrats.
Our latest coverage on Chipman comes from an Op-Ed via The Machine Gun Nest (TMGN), who last week penned a piece titled “No Path For Confirmation To ATF For Chipman? Biden Admin: “Not Over ‘Till It’s Over!”” which explains the former ATF agent’s willingness to ban average semi-automatic sporting rifles could hinder his nomination.
Responding to the Chipman news, TMGN said:
We expected Chipman to withdraw his nomination, as he had no path to his position after key democrats dropped support. We expect Biden to create some sort of “office of gun violence prevention” that would advise the president. Similar to Neera Tanden who we saw this year withdraw her nomination, yet still receive an appointment to a position in the White House.
This is a win for gun owners right now and a loss for President Biden, who has declared war on National Rifle Association and has demanded stronger gun control.
But as TMGN warned above, the administration will likely create some sort of gun violence task force that would advise the president.