It’s safe to say that the outdoor community is not always in agreement on much of anything. Most of us think in terms of groups of unified individuals with common interests when many of the sub-groups in that collective term are actually divided.
Consider, for example, the broad term “hunter”. For most, the Webster definition “a person or animal that hunts” about sums it up.
Hunters, however, divide that category into distinct sub-groups.
They fragment into groups according to what they use to hunt (bow, rifle, shotgun, pistol, black powder, etc., etc., etc), what they’re hunting (“meat” versus “trophy”) and if that weren’t enough, “modern” versus “primitive” and “stalk” versus “stand/blind”.
And let’s not forget the distinction between the land where they hunt (public/private).
That’s why it is very significant that a majority of outdoor organizations, whether focused on conservation or the Constitution, have lined up in solidarity to oppose the Biden administration’s proposed nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The reason they’re unified against David Chipman is simple: they all agree Mr. Chipman cannot be trusted to follow the law.
His mandate from President Biden, if he were approved, would be to the contrary. He would be expected to reinterpret the existing laws in order to expand the ATF’s abilities to squeeze the rights of law-abiding gun owners and the gun industry in any way possible.
His unsuitability for a job that should require even-handed enforcement of the law is unquestioned in this industry.
Dozens of conservation and membership organizations have written letters asking Senators to oppose the nomination. The NRA and the NSSF are only two of the groups spending significant amounts of money to remind moderate Democrats that supporting wouldn’t be just another party-line decision. A vote for affirm Chipman, they say, is they’re essentially voting against gun owners and Second Amendment supporters in their home states. You know, the people who helped vote them into office.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation feels defeating the Chipman nomination is worth spending lots of money on an ad to encourage moderate senators in West Virginia and Maine to vote against the nominee. NSSF image.
Or as the NSSF’s new ad says, “don’t put the fox in charge of the chicken house.”
For an organization that prefers doing its work without attention, it’s a significant commitment.
In fact, the NSSF’s Larry Keane calls the decision to create a television ad for West Virginia and Maine “monumental”. Taking the opposition public, he says, should “remind the senators that Chipman’s nomination is a threat to jobs, revenue and, not the least- the ability of law-abiding citizens to exercise their God-given Second Amendment rights.”
Despite a furor even the mainstream can’t totally ignore, there’s still no definite word on how Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.VA), Krysten Sinema (D-AZ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Angus King (I-Maine) will vote.
And Senator John Tester (D-MT) says he’s “still continuing to review David Chipman’s record and testimony to ensure he would support our brave law enforcement officers and respect Montanans’ Second Amendment rights.”
So what can we do? Plenty. While there’s still no definitive time set for a vote on the Chipman nomination it will likely be a time when we’re all distracted by other happenings.
Rather than wait until that time, you need to contact your state senators as well as the moderate Democrats and let them know that you, like much of America, are watching and hoping they will vote down the nomination.
Here’s the web address with the most information on how to contact each Senator in Washington. As always, be polite and keep your messages to the point. If you decide to call, you can call the Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121 and ask them to connect you directly with the Senate offices.
