WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) rebuked Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Nominee David Chipman’s agenda for defying the U.S. Constitution during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation vote.

Listen to the full comments here.

Chipman’s Agenda Will Ban Hunting Rifles For Tennesseans

“Tennessee is a constitutional carry state. Mr. Chipman made clear in his testimony last month that he wants to ban the future manufacturing and sale of assault weapons, but he has demonstrated that he has an alarming misunderstanding of what an assault weapon actually is. I asked him if he referred to common semi-automatic rifles as assault weapons, and he affirmed yes, he did. His definition, as Senator Cotton put it so aptly, would effectively ban all sporting rifles in the United States….Mr. Chipman has an agenda. It would be abridging our Second Amendment rights. It would be banning semi-automatic rifles and sporting rifles for those 15.5 million Americans who have a hunting license.”

Chipman Has No Respect for the Right To Bear Arms

“There are roughly 15.5 million Americans that hold hunting licenses. Nearly 20 million Americans have a concealed carry permit. I am one of those who has a concealed carry permit. Roughly 4 in 10 Americans report having a registered firearm in their residence, and nearly every major study has found that firearms are used in self-defense between a half million and 3 million times each year. That is the right of American citizens. Mr. Chipman has demonstrated through his testimony that he will neither respect nor protect the right to bear arms.”

Americans Deserve A Better Leader

“He has a decorated history with the anti-gun lobby…He has lobbied for Everytown for Gun Safety and has been a senior policy advisor at the Giffords campaign…In 2017 he co-authored a blog for Giffords calling for 50 caliber rifles to be regulated under the National Firearms Act. In other words, Mr. Chipman is willing to lie to push his anti-gun agenda. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives deserves a better leader. Americans deserve a better leader.”