Biden's ATF Nominee Says Law-Abiding Gun Owners Often Commit Violent Crimes
President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is coming under fire for a bizarre comment on gun owners made during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
“Is a law-abiding gun owner a threat to public safety in your view?” Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn asked nominee David Chipman.
“Thank you for that question, senator. If the term ‘law-abiding’ means someone has lawfully possessed a gun, there are often occasions that that person then goes on to commit a violent crime,” he replied. “If you’re just saying, ‘Characterize the majority of gun owners,’ the majority of gun owners are law-abiding.”
“Is a law-abiding gun owner a threat to public safety in your view?”
Just listen David Chipman’s answer… ?
This man should be nowhere near a position of power. pic.twitter.com/rkapzA7Q8m
— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) May 26, 2021
Chipman expertly spun the question in order to throw a bone to gun control advocates and to please the White House.
He knows exactly what he is doing, as he has worked for ATF for 25 years and could soon be leading the federal agency responsible for enforcing any gun restrictions passed under the Biden administration.
The bureaucrat faced a tough line of questioning from several Republican senators.
[firefly_poll]
“The AR-15 is one of, if not the, most popular rifle in America,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said, according to Reuters. “Your public position is that you want to ban AR-15s, is that correct?”
“With respect to the AR-15, I support a ban,” Chipman responded. “As ATF director, if I’m confirmed, I would simply enforce the laws on the books right now. There is no such ban on those guns.”
If you are wondering how RADICAL Biden’s ATF Nominee David Chipman is, watch Sen. @TedCruz’s questioning of him.
Chipman supports:
? Banning AR-15s – America’s most popular rifle
? Forcing gun owners to register their firearms with Feds
? END GAME, CONFISCATION pic.twitter.com/ZElAykDWHG— NRA (@NRA) May 26, 2021
Second Amendment rights groups including the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America railed against Chipman following the hearing.
“Today clearly showed that David Chipman is too radical to lead an agency that should not exist in the first place. The tyrannical gun control advocated by Chipman will be totally ineffective to stop criminals, such as the shooter in gun-controlled California who tragically claimed many lives today,” Gun Owners of America spokesman Aidan Johnston said in a news release.
“But Chipman’s policies will be very effective in turning millions of honest gun owners into criminals for simply possessing certain types of firearms.”
The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed support for tighter gun control, releasing an initial six-point plan in April which included laying the groundwork for “red flag” legislation at the state level and a crackdown on “ghost guns.”
David Chipman, Biden’s nominee for director of the ATF, says he supports an “assault weapons ban” but won’t define what an assault weapon is. pic.twitter.com/BiStnJ2x5e
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 26, 2021
And the last point in the White House plan? You guessed it — nominating David Chipman to direct ATF.
Law-abiding gun owners should make no mistake that Democratic lawmakers and their lackeys are not looking out for them. They are merely playing up the tragedy of gun violence to garner votes and secure power.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
