• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Digital News Updates
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business

Attorney General Knudsen Leads 20-State Effort Opposing Biden’s ATF Director Nominee

May 25, 2021

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and 19 other state attorneys general today called on the U.S. Senate to reject David Chipman’s confirmation as director of the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), citing concerns over his approach to public safety and Americans’ right to keep and bear arms.

In a letter to U.S. Senate Republican and Democratic leadership, Knudsen and the coalition of attorneys general outlined the threat President Joe Biden’s ATF nominee would pose to law-abiding gun owners if confirmed to lead the agency responsible for regulating firearms. Chipman has a long history of anti-gun rights lobbying and activism.

“Mr. Chipman has a First Amendment right as a private citizen to work for these political organizations and to lobby for the taxation, registration, and even confiscation of firearms.  Americans likewise have the Second Amendment to protect their God-given rights to keep and bear arms,” Knudsen and the attorneys general wrote. “Accordingly, we ask you to oppose Mr. Chipman’s confirmation to this important position and demand President Biden nominate someone who is not hostile to our rights and way of life.”

ATF agents play an important role in upholding the public safety of communities around the country and will be disserved by an agency director with a political agenda. Americans’ Second Amendment rights do not need to be infringed to keep them safe from violent criminals.

“Its agents deserve a director who will inspire confidence from the people they serve. Given Mr. Chipman’s history of anti-gun lobbying and political activism, Americans cannot be reasonably expected to believe he will be an unbiased enforcer of current laws,” the letter stated. “As the chief legal and law enforcement officers in our respective states, we are concerned that Mr. Chipman will make Americans less safe by diverting ATF resources to attack the rights of law-abiding gun owners instead of cracking down on violent criminals and criminal organizations.”

Attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and West Virginia also signed onto Knudsen’s letter.

Click here to view the letter.

PRESS RELEASE PROVIDED BY MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Filed Under: Politics

No related articles Found.

Primary Sidebar

— Advertisement —

Digital News Updates Logo

Recent News Posts

  • North Dakota Schools Chief Kirsten Baesler Confirmed as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education
  • Governor Gianforte Praises $1.5 Million Expansion of Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery
  • Montana Coal Board Awards $1.8 Million for Public Safety and Infrastructure Projects
  • Watchdog says Biden Education Department defied court order on Title IX enforcement

Recent Politics Posts

  • Daines Introduces Bill to Protect Religious Student Groups on College Campuses
  • USITC Advances Probe Into Russian Palladium Imports After Montana Delegation Push
  • Knudsen Leads 27-State Coalition Challenging California’s Magazine Ban
  • Zinke Votes for Short-Term Funding Bill to Avert Government Shutdown

Recent Business Posts

  • Wall Street Rallies to Fresh Highs After Fed Rate Cut
  • Governor Gianforte Welcomes Rivian as First Electric Vehicle Manufacturer in Montana
  • Montana State opens quantum computing facility
  • Warren Buffett Marks 95th Birthday With Reflection on Legacy, Berkshire’s Future

Copyright © 2025 Digital News Updates, All Rights Reserved.