A “Loud, Proud, Would-Be Gun Grabber” with Checkered Resume Should Not Run ATF
‘This nominee has a long track record of open hostility to law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights. He is a loud, proud, would-be gun-grabber who has made it a personal mission to erode the Bill of Rights for the citizens of this country.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding nominations:
“The President has made an inexplicable choice in nominating David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
“This nominee has a long track record of open hostility to law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
“He is a loud, proud, would-be gun-grabber who has made it a personal mission to erode the Bill of Rights for the citizens of this country.
“This is an especially awful time to be taking aim at Americans’ right to keep and bear arms. Remember, as the political left has sought to vilify and defund the police across our country, homicides have surged.
“Last year’s spike in the national murder rate was the steepest since 1960!
“So, as Democrats have made political war on the police, many citizens have started to think about self-protection. We’ve seen members of racial minority groups joining the parade of first-time gun owners in record numbers.
“But then, Democrats don’t like that either. Apparently the left neither wants strong police forces nor do they want Americans equipped for self-defense.
“So this nominee is unsuited enough for this job on the policy merits. But somehow, all this is just the tip of the iceberg of the concerns.
“Mr. Chipman also comes with a distressing workplace reputation. Current and former ATF agents — once his colleagues — have described him as an ‘activist’ and a ‘bully.’ Those are quotes.
“By one account, his policy views are ‘extreme’ and his demeanor, quote, ‘unsettling.’
I understand that just this week, even graver concerns have surfaced.
“According to one report, multiple ATF sources say there exists an internal complaint over racially insensitive comments allegedly made by the nominee in the workplace.
“I don’t expect that a Democratic president would pick somebody to run the ATF that will have our side of the aisle popping corks.
“But this is another level altogether.
“Anyone who supports the Bill of Rights should oppose this nomination. There is no way this nominee is the best the Biden Administration can do.”
Related Issues: Nominations
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