Biden’s nominee to lead ATF will have significant authority over gun control regulations.

From Fox News. President Biden said Monday that Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Expolsives (ATF) nominee Steve Dettelbach is “immensely qualified” and the kind of person who was confirmed unanimously to be a U.S. attorney in 2009.

View Comments (0)

But amid increasing partisanship, particularly over gun issues, the ATF hasn’t had a Senate-confirmed director since 2015. And with the Senate split 50-50, Dettelbach may need to keep the support of all 50 Senate Democrats if he wants to break that trend – something that’s been difficult for some of Biden’s nominees.

Dettelbach got some early bipartisan support Monday when multiple GOP-appointed federal prosecutors announced their support for him, as first reported by Fox News. Among them were former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a Trump appointee, and former Assistant Attorney General for National Security Kenneth Wainstein, a Bush appointee….

Dettelbach faces the Senate confirmation process just a few months after David Chipman, Biden’s previous nominee for the slot, was withdrawn due to a lack of support. Chipman’s previous stances on gun control and caustic comments against gun owners led to a forceful campaign against his nomination from the right.

Dettelach doesn’t share that same history – Chipman worked for gun control activist groups for several years – but some of the same groups and senators say they plan to work just as hard to stop Dettelbach….

A Senate Republican aide told Fox News that the gun control issues Republicans are likely to focus on are Dettelbach’s previous support for universal background checks and an assault weapons ban. Dettelbach held those positions as recently as 2018, when he was running for attorney general of Ohio, according to WOSU….

Biden holds those same gun control positions as Dettelbach, and the nominee would not be in a policymaking position at the ATF. But Republicans say a person’s stance on gun issues is key for a director of the powerful agency….

But despite the fierce opposition from Senate Republicans and groups like the NRA to Chipman’s nomination, it wasn’t them who brought him down. Indeed, Republicans in the 50-50 Senate don’t have the power to block any Biden nominees if Democrats stick together – Vice President Harris can break ties on any party-line votes….

How are you praying for our second amendment rights? Share this article to raise awareness of Dettelbach’s stances.

(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: Getty Images)