Tillis responded
Thank you for taking the time to contact me about the nomination of David Chipman to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). I appreciate hearing from you.
After carefully reviewing Mr. Chipman’s record and credentials, it is clear that he is not the right choice to lead the ATF. Should Mr. Chipman’s nomination be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee or the full Senate, I will oppose his nomination.
Mr. Chipman’s has a long history as an anti-gun activist and has supported measures that would infringe on law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights. For example, Mr. Chipman has worked for lobbyist groups that claim it was constitutional for Washington D.C. to ban all residents from owning handguns, even if they had no criminal record. Furthermore, Mr. Chipman has made inflammatory false claims about firearms. He claimed that the American gun market was flooded by foreign firearms, which was later debunked.
As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I serve on the committee with jurisdiction over nominees to serve as Director of the ATF. Should Mr. Chipman come before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a nomination hearing, I will certainly keep your views in mind when asking him questions.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. Please do not hesitate to contact me again about other important issues.
Sincerely,