David Chipman

David Howland Chipman (born 1966)^[1] is an American former ATF agent and gun control advocate who was most recently the nominee to serve as the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the Biden administration; however, this nomination was withdrawn.^[2]

David Chipman
David Chipman during a congressional hearing on May 26, 2021
Born	1966 (age 57–58) Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S.
Education	American University (BS) Johns Hopkins University (MS)

Early life and education

Chipman was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, and raised in Oakland County, Michigan. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in justice from American University and a Master of Science in management from Johns Hopkins University.^[3]

Career

Chipman spent 25 years as a special agent in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, monitoring firearm trafficking from Virginia to New York City.^[4] After leaving the ATF, Chipman became a senior policy advisor at Giffords.^[5] In late-2013, he joined ShotSpotter as the senior vice president of U.S. public safety solutions.^[6] Chipman was nominated as director of the ATF in April 2021, following an announcement from President Joe Biden.^[7] On April 12, 2021, his nomination was sent to the Senate.^[8] On May 26, 2021, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.^[9] The committee deadlocked on his nomination in a party-line vote on June 24, 2021.^[10] On September 9, 2021, the White House announced that it would withdraw Chipman's nomination due to opposition to his stances on gun control.^[11][2]

Alleged presence at the Waco siege

During his confirmation hearing, photos of David Chipman being present at the ruins of the Mount Carmel Center following the Waco Siege began to circulate online after being published by multiple news outlets.^[12] Chipman later denied being the man present in the photo, and it was said in Justice Department Records that the photo was taken on April 19, 1993, and that Chipman was not sent to the site until early May.^[13]

References

1. "Questionnaire for Non-Judicial Nominees: David Howland Chipman" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
2. "Biden Withdraws His Nominee To Lead The ATF". npr.org. National Public Radio. September 9, 2021. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021.
3. "David H. Chipman" (PDF). congress.gov.
4. Paul LeBlanc (April 8, 2021). "Biden's planned pick for ATF director a fierce advocate for gun control". CNN. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
5. Thrush, Glenn (April 7, 2021). "Biden will nominate David Chipman, an adviser to a top gun control group, as A.T.F. director". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
6. "SST, Inc. Expands Leadership Team with Key Management Appointments :: ShotSpotter (SSTI)". ShotSpotter (Press release). September 19, 2013.
7. Weiner, Chloee (April 8, 2021). "Biden To Nominate Gun Control Advocate, Law Enforcement Veteran To Lead ATF". NPR. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
8. "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. April 12, 2021.
9. "Nominations". United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. May 26, 2021.
10. "PN274 — David H. Chipman — Department of Justice 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
11. "Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate". The White House. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
12. Admin (April 13, 2021). "Biden Nominee To Head ATF Was Involved In Waco Massacre, Oklahoma City Bombing, Ruby Ridge and Fast & Furious". Daily Informer. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
13. "Fact-check: Was ATF nominee David Chipman at the Waco siege of 1993?". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved April 15, 2023.