Montana Legislators Urge Sen. Jon Tester to Oppose Chipman Confirmation

Twenty-five Montana legislators sent a letter Wednesday urging Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) to oppose the confirmation of David Chipman, Biden’s nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The legislators’ letter, which Breitbart News has obtained, notes Tester has heretofore refused to take a position on Chipman’s nomination.

They further recall Tester’s claim he is “still analyzing” the Chipman nomination but is not “feeling the urgency” of taking a position.

Rather, Tester said he is “[continuing] to review David Chipman’s record and testimony to ensure [Chipman] would support our brave law enforcement officers and respect Montanans’ Second Amendment rights.”

The legislators point out that Chipman is a gun control proponent and urge Tester to take stand against his confirmation:

Mr. Chipman’s history as a lobbyist for radical gun control groups and support for unconstitutional firearm bans make it glaringly obvious he will not respect Montanans’ Second Amendment rights and will actively work to infringe upon them.

Rejecting Mr. Chipman’s nomination should be an easy, no-brainer decision. We urge you to oppose his confirmation and announce your opposition without further delay.

On July 19, 2021, Breitbart News highlighted a Politico story in which Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) admitted “there are a lot of issues” with Chipman.

Breitbart News further observed Donald Trump Jr. is calling on Democrat constituents in red states to call Tester, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), and others, to urge them to vote against confirmation.

Trump Jr. told Breitbart News that “David Chipman is an anti-2nd Amendment radical, who has a long record of supporting gun confiscation and restricting the rights of law abiding gun owners.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.