Second Amendment advocates have long been concerned about what Joe Biden would do to infringe our right to bear arms once he was installed in the White House. Biden has nominated David Chipman for Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Let’s examine the record to see what David Chipman is likely to do if confirmed.
David Chipman is a longtime employee of the ATF who has been involved in major investigations such as the Waco, TX siege against the Branch Davidians, the Sept 11, 2001 attack on America, and the Oklahoma City bombing of April 19, 1995. He has also advocated for gun control from the platform of the Giffords Law Center, a lobbying agency formed after the attempted murder of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
David Chipman Will Ban Assault Weapons
David Chipman’s stated desires include banning assault weapons. In German the term is Sturmgewehr, and is said to have been coined by Adolf Hitler, the ultimate poster boy for 20th century totalitarianism. I looked up “assault rifle” on britannica.com and found a definition for this loaded term:
Assault rifle, military firearm that is chambered for ammunition of reduced size or propellant charge and that has the capacity to switch between semiautomatic and fully automatic fire.
The models specifically listed in the article were M16A1, M16A2, M4, and M16A4.
I then visited the website of Chipman’s employer, the Giffords Law Center, to find out their stance on assault weapons. They had this definition:
Assault weapons are a class of semi-automatic firearm specifically designed to kill humans quickly and efficiently.
The Giffords website then went on to delineate the states that had weapons bans into categories based on which weapons they banned and whether the ban extended to manufacture, sale, transfer, or possession of the guns. Some states specify characteristics that constitute “assault weapons” and others mention specific models by name.
The big difference between the Britannica definition and the Giffords definition is the fact that military style weapons can be switched between semi-automatic and automatic. Rifles targeted by Giffords need only be semi-automatic to qualify. Large-capacity magazines, defined as any that hold more than ten rounds, are also under the gun with Giffords.
In case you were wondering, a semi-automatic weapon does not have to be cocked every time you shoot, but you do have to press the trigger for each shot. An automatic weapon can shoot many times in a row as long as you hold your finger on the trigger. Rambo had an automatic weapon.
For someone to own a full auto gun, pistol or rifle, they must purchase a tax stamp for each gun and the gun must have been manufactured before 1986. Anything automatic made after 1986 is illegal to own.
The anti-gun lobby isn’t out to ban Rambo’s automatic weapons because those are already illegal. They want your AR-15s. The general public can only get semi-auto types of AR-style rifles.
David Chipman Is Unwilling to Define Assault Weapons
When a person is seeking a high office, it makes sense to avoid giving away too much information about what he plans to do once installed. Joe Biden used this tactic successfully when he avoided answering a question about whether he would pack the Supreme Court if he became President.
We now know that Biden intends to advocate for statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington DC in order to increase the number of Senators and Representatives, and he intends to add as many Supreme Court Justices as he can. Both actions will skew the balance of power in favor of liberals, who abound in D.C. and in Puerto Rico.
When pressed to define the term “assault weapons” by Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, Chipman demurred, stating that Congress would define the term and the ATF would simply enforce the ban. Watch this YouTube video from Forbes to see the interaction between Kennedy and Chipman.
The reason Chipman wouldn’t define “assault weapon” for Kennedy is because he didn’t want to put himself in a box. If he said he wanted to ban semi-automatics, Americans would be in an uproar over their favorite guns. If he said he only wanted to ban fully automatic guns, Americans would wonder why he wanted to ban guns that are already illegal. Kennedy had him either way.
David Chipman Is Associated With the Giffords Law Center
I looked up David Chipman’s bio on congress.gov to see where he has worked.
He has a Master’s Degree in the Police Executive Leadership Program from Johns Hopkins University.
In 1987-88 he worked at the Office of the Inspector General, investigating employee misconduct.
From 1988-1993 he worked for ATF, targeting career criminals in possession of firearms and drugs. He investigated the World Trade Center bombing during that time.
From 1993-1998 Chipman worked in the Waco Satellite Office of the ATF. He was a case agent in the Branch Davidian trial and responded to the Oklahoma City bombing.
From 1999-2001 Chipman worked for the ATF in Detroit dealing with arson, tobacco, and explosives.
Chipman continued with the ATF in Washington and Detroit through 2012, gaining power and influence as he rose through the ranks.
In 2012 and 2013, the man Biden has nominated for ATF Director worked for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in New York as Senior Policy Advisor. He served as an expert advisor for such left-leaning media outlets as the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Politico. Other media favorites included Chris Matthews and National Public Radio.
Chipman helped shape the media response to the Newtown shooting and promoted such anti-gun organizations as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and the Center For American Progress.
From 2016 to the present Chipman has worked for the Giffords Law Enforcement Coalition, whose goal is to get guns out of the hands of criminals by restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens.
David Chipman Does Not Want You to Know Which Guns He Owns
When asked by Senator Kennedy whether he was opposed to private gun ownership, Chipman answered that he himself was a gun owner. Pressed by Kennedy to state which guns he owned, Chipman was only willing to describe one gun, a Smith & Wesson Treasury Commemorative gun with a serial number that matches his birthdate.
When I looked up S&W Treasury Commemorative guns I saw a series of very pretty revolvers.
It is interesting that Chipman wishes to keep his details private, given the current push from the left to register guns. To learn the astounding specificity of what Congress thinks it needs to know about your gun collection, read the article I wrote about HR 127, which is only one of a myriad of gun control bills under consideration this year.
If you have high blood pressure, be aware that this bill will likely provoke a strong emotional response. Read at your own risk.
David Chipman’s Comments Mock Second Amendment Advocates
I looked up what Chipman has been saying about guns, and I found two quotes that showcase Chipman’s attitude toward American gun owners.
Secure that gun locked and unloaded and hide it behind the cans of beef jerky that you’ve stored in the cabinet, and bring that out if the zombies start to appear.
Quoted in the federalist.com
They might think that they’re die-hard, ready to go, but unfortunately they’re more like Tiger King and they’re putting themselves and their families in danger.
Quoted in ammoland.com
Evidently David Chipman thinks that Americans who wish to be prepared for emergencies such as the riots of 2020 are simply making fools of themselves.
What You Can Do About David Chipman
Your elected officials are dependent on your vote, and they know that they are supposed to be implementing the will of the people. Even though you are only one person, you can make your voice heard. Your Senators need to know your feelings on every nominee they interview and every bill they pass. If they get thousands of letters and phone calls about a specific issue, your legislators will pay attention to what the public is telling them.
Go to congress.gov to get the emails, addresses, and phone numbers of your Senators. Compose an email, letter, or phone call in your own words describing your objection to this nomination or anything else Congress needs to do differently. Use polite language and leave your name and address. Some of them may even return your communication. I get responses when I email my legislators.
Keep talking about the issues that are important to you, and don’t give up on the Constitution. Your vote still matters, and we need to keep working while there is still time to make a difference.
Thanks for reading my blog. Keep reading, and watch our Double Eagle Gunworks YouTube channel for helpful information about all things gun-related.
