Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today on the widely reported decision by President Biden to nominate Beyer’s constituent, retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) special agent David Chipman, to serve as ATF Director:

“David Chipman has spent a long and distinguished career working to save American lives by preventing gun violence, efforts which included risking his own life as a special agent for ATF. He is highly decorated, deeply devoted, and thoroughly qualified to serve as ATF Director. I am so proud to know David and to represent him in Congress, where he has helped me and many of my colleagues achieve a much better understanding of firearms and gun violence prevention.

“This is a stellar nomination by President Biden for the leadership of an agency that plays a crucial role in keeping Americans safe. That agency has been hamstrung for decades by Congress, which has only confirmed one ATF Director in the past 15 years. As the Senate considers David Chipman’s nomination, I will continue working with my colleagues to strengthen ATF’s ability to carry out its mission to protect Americans from violent crime.”

Chipman, a longtime Arlingtonian, retired from ATF after serving for 25 years as a special agent, where he disrupted criminal firearms trafficking activities in Virginia that supplied illegal guns to New York, before ultimately directing ATF’s Firearms Programs. He was highly decorated for his efforts to prevent gun violence, and after his retirement worked as a policy advisor on gun violence prevention for Everytown for Gun Safety, and then for Giffords, where he currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor.

Beyer is the author of legislation to improve and strengthen enforcement activities at ATF. He is a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and has been active and outspoken on the issue of preventing gun violence since taking office in 2015.