Sen. Mike Lee blasts Joe Biden’s ATF nominee for contempt of gun owners

May 26, 2021 Carley Shaffer US 0

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 16: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) asks a question at a Judiciary Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 16, 2020 in Washington, D.C. The Republican-led committee was holding its first hearing on policing since the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. (Photo by Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 16: Sen. Mike Lee. (Photo by Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)

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UPDATED 7:50 PM PT – Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) will be facing off against Joe Biden’s pick, David Chipman, to lead the ATF over his blatant contempt for gun owners. During Wednesday’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Lee pressed Chipman on previous anti-gun comments he made online. Lee also brought up an interview Chipman did last April about a rise in gun sales during which Chipman appeared to mock first-time gun owners.

1/2 In an article in The SLT on Jan 29, 2019, ATF nominee David Chipman was quoted as saying, “The only people that benefit from [legislation making it easier for Americans to purchase silencers] are gun lobbyists and criminals who want easier access to deadly weapons.” pic.twitter.com/aM9ZH04lAR

— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) May 26, 2021

The Republican further expressed concern that Chipman’s words targeting Second Amendment supporters, violated fundamental rules of due process when pointing to this specific instance.

Chipman had posted on Reddit in 2019 stating, “while at ATF, I conducted studies involving people who failed background checks to determine how many later committed crimes with a gun. Many did. This is a perfect opportunity to arrest people before committing crimes rather than responding after the fact.”

In response to Lee, Chipman claimed he was misunderstood and his words had been taken out of context. He continued to justify his statement saying he had only been making a joke about himself.