Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Giffords Running TV and Digital Ad Urging Confirmation of David Chipman – He Will Be The“Most Qualified Director the ATF Has Ever Had”
WASHINGTON –– Today, Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements in advance of Wednesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of David Chipman to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The hearing, chaired by Senator Dick Durbin, will take place at 10:00am on Wednesday, May 26, and can be viewed here.
In April, President Joe Biden nominated David Chipman to be Director of the ATF, which hasn’t had a permanent director since 2015. David Chipman is a father, public servant, gun owner, decorated law enforcement professional, and gun safety expert. He has spent his career serving the public, combating violent crime, and working to make our communities safer.
“As both a 25-year veteran of law enforcement and a gun safety expert, David Chipman will be the most qualified ATF Director we’ve ever seen,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “ATF can play a huge role in addressing America’s gun violence crisis, but the agency has been hamstrung by a lack of permanent leadership for far too long. David Chipman is the right person at the right time to make sure ATF is doing everything it possibly can to stop gun trafficking and keep our communities safe.”
“With over a dozen major shootings just this weekend it has never been clearer that we need the ATF to have a permanent leader, and David Chipman is the right person with the right experience for the job.” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “We’re facing a gun violence crisis in this country and David is someone who will ensure that the agency is doing everything in its power to stop guns from ending up in the hands of those who shouldn’t have them, before they can be used to injure and kill.”
David Chipman is uniquely qualified to lead ATF and work from day one to identify and address the gun trafficking channels that flood our communities with illegal guns. Chipman is a 25-year veteran at ATF, where he focused on enforcing firearms and explosives laws, including investigating acts of arson, bombings, and terrorism, and combating the illegal trafficicking of guns, alcohol, and tobacco products. Since leaving ATF, Chipman has served as an expert advising organizations on the front lines of gun violence prevention in the United States.
Last week, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, Giffords, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Community Justice Action Fund released a new ad featuring retired ATF special agents and community leaders in support of Chipman. Watch a full-length version of the video HERE and the :60 version HERE, which is airing through Thursday, May 27 on TV and digital platforms in the Washington, DC media market.