[ad_1]
As President Joe Biden moves to curb the nationwide uptick in violent crime, one key priority for his administration is gun control – particularly, cracking down on the buying and selling of illegal firearms.
But the agency tasked with doing just this has faced years of struggles: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
ATF is seen by some as a political hot potato, one hobbled by a lack of permanent leadership, and targeted for years by the powerful lobbying arm of the NRA.
Since 2006, ATF has only had one Senate-confirmed leader, who stepped down in 2015. Since then, it has been led by “acting” officials” – a distinction that may not seem technically significant, but one that former law enforcement officials say has an enormous impact on day-to-day operations inside the bureau.
“The impact of not having permanent leadership … is enormous,” Darrel Stephens, a former North Carolina police chief who worked closely with the ATF, told Spectrum News in an interview. “Agents never know how long a person is going to last, they never know their inability to set strategy, to think three, four years down the road.”
“If you don’t have stable, confirmed leadership that has the backing of the administration and Congress, then it makes it much more difficult to deal with the problems that we’re seeing with how the ATF’s regulating the industry,” Chelsea Parsons, vice president of gun violence prevention at the Center for American Progress, told USA Today earlier this year.
So what’s hampering the agency’s efforts to recruit a permanent director? Stephens blames the NRA.
“They have had an iron grip on Congress,” he claims. “We haven’t had a permanent director because the NRA’s influence on enough people in the Senate they support financially.”
So far this year, the NRA has spent millions of dollars opposing Chipman’s confirmation and Biden’s gun agenda.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration nominated David Chipman, a former ATF agent and senior policy advisor at the gun control advocacy group Giffords, to lead the bureau – though it is unclear whether the Senate will vote to confirm him. In order to do so, he would likely need the votes of all 50 Democrats.
Moderate Democrats, largely those from red states, have repeatedly declined to say whether they’d support Chipman. On Monday, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, told reporters he “hadn’t made up his mind,” and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he was still “working on it.”
Stephens told Spectrum News that the lack of a permanent, Senate-confirmed ATF leader could result in a lack of internal oversight at a time when Biden is relying on the bureau to cooperate with local law enforcement.
“If you’ve got an acting director, and you’ve got maybe people that don’t support what the president is trying to do within your organization, than they just wait them out,” he said, adding that interim leaders “don’t make that extra effort to contribute to strategy that they may not believe in.”
[ad_2]
Source link
278199 9352Should you are viewing come up with alter in most with the living, starting point normally L . a . Weight reduction cutting down on calories platform are a wide stair as part of your attaining that most agenda. weight loss 156750
174818 370519I added this article to my favorites and strategy to return to digest more soon. Its simple to read and comprehend as well as intelligent. I truly enjoyed my first read via of this write-up. 738038
516519 699534I like your writing style genuinely loving this internet site . 909773
396422 629971Spot on with this write-up, I truly assume this web site wants significantly far more consideration. probably be again to read significantly a lot more, thanks for that info. 949228
538807 396507Why didnt I consider this? I hear exactly what youre saying and Im so pleased that I came across your blog. You really know what youre talking about, and you made me feel like I really should learn far more about this. Thanks for this; Im officially a huge fan of your weblog 859208
285975 328516Previously you need to have highly effective internet business strategies get you started of finding into topics suitable for their web-based organization. educational 150962
873649 839209hello!,I really like your writing very so much! 389723
810886 289874I got what you mean ,bookmarked , quite good internet website . 772245
370094 183073I really like this blog internet site, will undoubtedly come back once more. Make certain you carry on creating quality content articles. 148577
30021 810570Hey mate, .This was an excellent post for such a hard subject to speak about. I appear forward to seeing numerous much more outstanding posts like this 1. Thanks 30100
643889 262922How considerably of an exciting piece of writing, continue creating companion 660120
195292 48574Some truly good stuff on this web site , I it. 91113
376355 319732Your writing taste has been amazed me. Thank you, quite great article. 559776
273300 691033Fascinating web site, i read it but i nonetheless have some questions. shoot me an email and we will talk far more becasue i may possibly have an interesting thought for you. 320134
150042 295387Hello there! Good post! Please inform us when all could see a follow up! 975348
161849 444257You should participate in a contest for among the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this web site! 412793
808702 470223I like this web site its a master peace ! Glad I discovered this on google . 759292
26777 660039Heya! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing several weeks of hard work due to no back up. Do you have any methods to prevent hackers? 550752
224296 563984Your writing is fine and gives food for thought. I hope that Ill have a lot more time to read your articles . Regards. I wish you which you frequently publish new texts and invite you to greet me 877541
554449 967843Outstanding publish from specialist also it will probably be a wonderful know how to me and thanks very much for posting this helpful data with us all. 614319
357657 89484Spot lets start on this write-up, I seriously believe this amazing site requirements a lot more consideration. Ill far more likely once again to read a terrific deal much more, a lot of thanks that info. 40689
543502 909025Spot up for this write-up, I really feel this exceptional site requirements a great deal a lot more consideration. Ill a lot more likely be once once more to read considerably a lot more, thank you that information. 144744
155743 992379Can I just say what a relief to search out somebody who actually is aware of what theyre speaking about on the internet. You undoubtedly know how to deliver a problem to light and make it crucial. Extra folks want to learn this and perceive this facet with the story. I cant consider youre no much more common because you positively have the gift. 246739