Fight the Nomination of David Chipman for ATF Director
Back in April, President Biden nominated David Chipman for the position of Director of the ATF. Prior to his retirement in 2012, Chipman was a 25-year veteran of the Bureau. His second post for the ATF was as a special agent at the Waco, Texas, field office from 1993 to 1998, during the Waco siege.
In the years since his retirement, Chipman has been employed by multiple major gun control groups and has publicly advocated for numerous anti-gun policies such as banning so-called "assault rifles," regulating semi-automatic firearms as machine guns, and instituting burdensome gun registration, licensing, and taxing schemes. More than once he has mocked gun owners with condescending and derogatory comments.
At his recent Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Chipman demonstrated disconcerting level of ignorance regarding firearms. In one notable moment, a senator asked Chipman to define a term he frequently uses - "assault weapon," which he struggled with and was ultimately unable to do. As a result of this and other disqualifying exchanges, several senators questioned Chipman's qualifications to lead the ATF.
Fortunately, the Senate has yet to confirm David Chipman to the post, so there is still time for Americans to contact their senators and urge them to reject Chipman's nomination. Please visit and take a few moments to let your senators know that David Chipman is not the man for the job. Contact your senator here. Remember to keep your comments respectful and direct to increase their impact.
Understand New Proposed Rules For 80% and Other Frames
At the direction of President Biden, the ATF has recently proposed an alarming series of changes to federal firearms regulations. These proposals include adding or expanding the definitions of what constitutes a firearm frame or receiver, weapon, suppressor, or a privately made firearm. The proposed changes also include granting the government authority to declare firearms parts as actual firearms, as well as create new regulatory burdens regarding serial numbers and other markings.
Should these proposals become official regulations, every American's constitutionally protected right to make, modify, and own firearms will be negatively impacted. The end result will be an infringement on the free and lawful exercise of the Second Amendment, the destruction of countless small businesses and livelihoods, and the added costs of new regulatory burdens being passed off to the consumer in the form of increased prices.
The comment period for these harmful proposals is now open on the ATF's website. Please visit to leave feedback for federal reviewers. Remember to keep your comments respectful and direct to increase their impact on the decision makers' final determination.
Understand New Proposed Rules for Pistol Braces
Continuing to pursue President Biden's anti-gun agenda, the ATF has just released a new set of firearms rule change proposals, this time regarding pistol stabilizing braces. These latest proposed regulations are intended to determine whether or not a pistol falls under the definition of a short barreled rifle (SBR) under the National Firearms Act (NFA). The government's clear intent is to eliminate the unregistered ownership of firearms that use pistol braces.
To start, the proposal would redefine the meaning of "rifle" to potentially include firearms equipped with a stabilizing brace designed to be fired from the shoulder. It would also implement an arbitrary points system that the ATF would use to determine if a pistol falls under the purview of the NFA. Any pistol with four or more points would be determined to be an SBR and would thus fall under NFA restrictions.
Points would be awarded on factors such as whether a firearm equipped with a stabilizing brace could possibly be fired from the shoulder, or may be, is likely to be, or is definitely intended to be fired from the shoulder, each counting as 1, 2, 3, or 4 points respectively. Certain features are given points as well. For example, flip-up sights are one point, and red dot sights, full length buffer tubes, and hand stops are all worth two points.
Other factors automatically make a firearm an SBR regardless of points. Any pistol with a second grip or that weighs over 120 ounces unloaded would be an SBR. There would also be a 26 inch maximum length as measured from the rear of the buffer tube to the end of the muzzle, which would effectively limit AR-based pistols to 7 inch barrels.
There are a few other factors in this new draconian proposal, however all of them are an assault upon American's constitutionally protected rights, representing a significant infringement on the free and lawful exercise of the Second Amendment, not to mention the economic impact to the firearms industry as manufacturers will be forced to engage in legal struggles to get products approved, make large expenditures to tool up for producing new products, or go out of business altogether and put their employees out of jobs.
All ATF proposals must be open for public comment and those comments must be considered before any final determination is made. The comment period will be open very soon, right after the proposal is published in the federal register, which means now is the time to act. Once open, please leave feedback for federal reviewers. You can find the link here. Remember to keep your comments respectful and direct to increase their impact on the decision makers' final determination.
