President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced he was tapping gun control activist David Chipman to serve Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Even though Chipman’s past has been called into question, particularly over his role in the Waco, Texas, massacre and his calls to disarm law-abiding Americans, things are getting even thornier.
A look into the United States’ Senate Lobbying Disclosure registration shows Chipman served as a lobbyist for Giffords, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ gun control group. As recently as a last June, Chipman was lobbying on behalf of anti-Second Amendment legislation.
According to the lobbying disclosure forms, Chipman was paid several hundreds of thousands of dollars per year between 2017 and 2020 to lobby for stricter gun control laws.
2020:
Quarter 1 – $100,000
Quarter 2 – $100,000
Total: $200,000
2019:
Quarter 1 – $100,000
Quarter 2 – $100,000
Quarter 3 – $110,000
Quarter 4 – $100,000
Total: $410,000
2018:
Quarter 1 – $110,000
Quarter 3 – $90,000
Quarter 4 – $140,000
Total: $340,000
2017:
Quarter 1 – $100,000
Quarter 2 – $150,000
Quarter 3 – $120,000
Quarter 4 – $50,000
Total: $420,000
Between 2012 and 2013, Chipman was a registered lobbyist for another gun control group, Everytown for Gun Safety. He made more than $1 million in a six month timeframe.
2013:
Quarter 2: $580,000
Quarter 3: $500,000
Total: $1.08 million
Lobbying disclosure forms show Biden's ATF pick, David Chipman, was a federally registered lobbyist for Giffords and Everytown for Gun Safety. He made MILLIONS advocating for gun control policies. pic.twitter.com/j8YvbnNHd2
— Beth Baumann (@eb454) April 8, 2021
A few of Chipman’s key lobbying issues include:
- Violence Against Women Act
- Assault Weapons Ban
- Extreme Risk Protection Orders (commonly referred to as “Red Flag Laws”)
- Concealed Carry Reciprocity
- Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act
- National Gun Violence Research Act
- Hearing Protection Act
- Gun Manufacturers Accountability Act
- 3-D printed guns
- Bump stocks
- Microstamping
- Guns in school
- Firearm permitting
Chipman’s gun control activism shows that he lacks a basic understanding of laws that are already on the books. This lack of understanding will result in duplicated laws that do nothing to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals. Instead, gun control legislation and executive orders will hinder law-abiding gun owners.
Beth Baumann is a Political Reporter at The Daily Wire. Follow her on Twitter @eb454.