White House pulls nomination of ATF chief amid pushback over gun-control advocacy

 The White House withdrew ­David Chipman’s nomination to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Thursday amid bipartisan pushback over his gun control advocacy.

President Biden nominated Chipman, who worked at ATF for more than two decades before joining the gun-control group led by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), in April as part of a larger effort to curb gun violence. But his nomination faced unified opposition from Republican senators as well as concerns from a handful of Senate Democrats from states friendly to gun rights.

“We knew this wouldn’t be easy — there’s only been one Senate-confirmed ATF Director in the Bureau’s history — but I have spent my entire career working to combat the scourge of gun violence, and I remain deeply committed to that work,” Biden said in a statement.+

The president blamed Republicans for blocking Chipman’s nomination, saying they are using “gun crime as a political talking point instead of taking serious steps to address it.” But it was resistance from some in Biden’s own party that ultimately forced the White House to pull the nomination...MORE