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Watch: Biden's ATF Nominee Says Law-Abiding Gun Owners Often Commit Violent Crimes

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President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is coming under fire for a bizarre comment on gun owners made during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

“Is a law-abiding gun owner a threat to public safety in your view?” Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn asked nominee David Chipman.

“Thank you for that question, senator. If the term ‘law-abiding’ means someone has lawfully possessed a gun, there are often occasions that that person then goes on to commit a violent crime,” he replied. “If you’re just saying, ‘Characterize the majority of gun owners,’ the majority of gun owners are law-abiding.”

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Chipman expertly spun the question in order to throw a bone to gun control advocates and to please the White House.

He knows exactly what he is doing, as he has worked for ATF for 25 years and could soon be leading the federal agency responsible for enforcing any gun restrictions passed under the Biden administration.

The bureaucrat faced a tough line of questioning from several Republican senators.

Should Chipman lead the ATF?

“The AR-15 is one of, if not the, most popular rifle in America,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said, according to Reuters. “Your public position is that you want to ban AR-15s, is that correct?”

“With respect to the AR-15, I support a ban,” Chipman responded. “As ATF director, if I’m confirmed, I would simply enforce the laws on the books right now. There is no such ban on those guns.”

Second Amendment rights groups including the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America railed against Chipman following the hearing.

“Today clearly showed that David Chipman is too radical to lead an agency that should not exist in the first place. The tyrannical gun control advocated by Chipman will be totally ineffective to stop criminals, such as the shooter in gun-controlled California who tragically claimed many lives today,” Gun Owners of America spokesman Aidan Johnston said in a news release.

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“But Chipman’s policies will be very effective in turning millions of honest gun owners into criminals for simply possessing certain types of firearms.”

The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed support for tighter gun control, releasing an initial six-point plan in April which included laying the groundwork for “red flag” legislation at the state level and a crackdown on “ghost guns.”

And the last point in the White House plan? You guessed it — nominating David Chipman to direct ATF.

Law-abiding gun owners should make no mistake that Democratic lawmakers and their lackeys are not looking out for them. They are merely playing up the tragedy of gun violence to garner votes and secure power.

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Cameron Arcand is a former writer for The Western Journal.
Cameron Arcand is a political commentator based in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2017 as a school project, he founded YoungNotStupid.com, which has grown exponentially since its founding. He has interviewed several notable conservative figures, including Dave Rubin, Peggy Grande and Madison Cawthorn.

In September 2020, Cameron joined The Western Journal as a Commentary Writer, where he has written articles on topics ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, the "Recall Gavin Newsom" effort and the 2020 election aftermath. The "Young Not Stupid" column launched at The Western Journal in January 2021, making Cameron one of the youngest columnists for a national news outlet in the United States. He has appeared on One America News and Fox 5 DC. He has been a Young America's Foundation member since 2019.
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