Biden's nominee for head of the ATF David Chipman says he is in favor of an AR-15 ban.

 

David Chipman at the Senate hearing. The Federalist.

Biden's nominee for head of the ATF, David Chipman, says he is in favor of an AR-15 ban. The Federalist. When confronted with his gun control past by Senator Ted Cruz, Chipman explicitly said that he was in favor of a ban on America's most popular rifle. He also characterized the AR-15 as an "especially lethal" weapon, despite it being chambered in a smaller caliber than most hunting rifles. Chipman has previously called for an "assault weapons" ban and spent time working with Gabby Giffords' gun control groups. 

My Comment:

I have already contacted both of my Senators about Mr. Chipman. As far as I am concerned advocating for the ban of any firearm, especially the most popular rifle in America, should permanently bar you from holding any government position. It doesn't matter if you are a dogcatcher or the head of the ATF, if you want to ban firearms you should be disqualified. Incidentally, if you wanted to contact your senators, here's the place you can do so. 

Chipman also lied about the lethality of the AR-15. Most are chambered in .223/5.56, which is an intermediate round of limited power. My .30 caliber rifles (a hunting rifle and a world war II era rifle) both have dramatically more power than the AR-15. 

Do I think that Chipman will be confirmed? I am not sure. I think a few Red State Democrats, like Joe Manchin and Kristyn Sinema may vote against him if they are pressured to do so by their voters. Confirming someone who wants to ban the country's most popular rifle will not play well for the voters that put Manchin and Sinema into office. There is a decent chance that one or both will defect. And I don't see any Republican that doesn't want to commit political suicide voting for Mr. Chipman. 

However, even if Chipman is confirmed I doubt that any new gun control laws are coming. Joe Manchin has already said he won't support an AR-15 ban and since he is the controlling vote in the Senate nothing will be passed. And I am guessing that the GOP will pick up seats in both the senate and the house in 2020, ending the threat of new gun control laws in the foreseeable future. 

Still, it's disgusting that Chipman is even considered. As far as I am concerned the ATF shouldn't exist but if it is going to be there the head of it should not be a person as involved and invested in gun control as David Chipman is. The fact that he got nominated just goes to show how incredibly hostile the Biden administration is towards gun rights. 

Finally, I have to say that an AR-15 ban is almost certainly going to result in a civil war. You can't make millions of people into felons overnight without there being major consequences. And since many of the people own AR-15's to protect themselves from those who would ban AR-15's it would be a major red line that the government would be wise to not cross...