Biden’s nominee for ATF director, David Chipman, is not exactly someone who would be described as being popular among America’s politically active gun owners. David Chipman is among Biden’s most controversial picks, Chipman himself also has a career full of controversies that the public is becoming aware of at a rapid pace. One such controversy is that Chipman may have lost his service weapon while serving as an ATF agent, although he is denying these allegations many familiar with the situation are speaking out about Chipman’s butterfingers.
From The Federalist:
Judiciary ranking member Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah pushed Chipman on whether he had ever lost possession of his assigned gun while employed at the ATF for more than two decades. Chipman wrote in his testimony a negative to the question, but leadership at the American Accountability Foundation told The Federalist the nominee’s former supervisors and peers at ATF remember Chipman getting his gun stolen.
“We were told multiple times by his former colleagues that he had lost his service weapon,” Tom Jones, co-founder of the group, said in an interview. “We shared this information with the Senate, who has taken up the matter. Often a federal employee’s personnel file is made available to the Senate and would clear this and other disciplinary matters up. This week, Chipman refused the Senate’s request to provide his personnel file, which raises questions on this matter and what else he is hiding.”
ATF employees are told not to store firearms in their vehicles. According to those who spoke to Jones, Chipman left his weapon in his personal vehicle one night, and allegedly a handyman broke in and stole it.
Another source familiar with the bombshell allegations told The Federalist “Senate staff will continue inquiries about whether or not Chipman mishandled service weapons,” indicating that Republicans intend to keep gathering intel.
During the hearing where a lot of this information first came to light, Republican Senators remarked at how ignorant Chipman was when it came to firearms. Senators also noted that Chipman has an extreme anti-gun bias.
The issue of Chipman losing his gun is not only a serious legal matter, it is also a matter of competency. Can Chipman be trusted to head an organization that is responsible for firearms policy and rules when he himself can not even secure one weapon that he was entrusted with as part of his duty as an ATF agent?
