Opinion
United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- Second Amendment supporters have every right to treat themselves in the wake of the Biden-Harris regime pulling the nomination of anti-Second Amendment extremist David Chipman to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE).
Chipman’s open hatred of those who support the Second Amendment was a clear disqualifier for the position, and we were right to fight the nomination. So, hoist the beverage of your choice, treat yourself to your favorite menu item at that dining establishment you love, or do something nice for yourself. You’ve earned it.
Now, for the hard part – and there is a hard part – of the post-Chipman nomination battle situation: He’s still going to be around, he will still be calling the shots for the anti-Second Amendment agenda of the the Biden-Harris regime, and that regime will get Senate confirmation on a new director for BATFE who will, for all intents and purposes, be Chipman’s sock puppet.
The fact is, on this occasion, Angus King, Jon Tester, and Joe Manchin came through for the Second Amendment. That said, when the next nominee is put forward, they may well support whoever it is in order to protect themselves from attacks by anti-Second Amendment extremists. That’s why these “sometime” friends need to be replaced when possible, and why the Manchin and Tester races in 2018 were such missed opportunities for Second Amendment supporters.
But we also cannot kid ourselves. While Chipman may not be running BATFE, in one sense, Chipman’s become more dangerous to our Second Amendment rights. As “gun czar,” he not only will be in closer proximity to Biden (and thus, influencing decisions), but he can direct efforts from the entire federal government. In essence, by striking his nomination down, we’ve made him more powerful.
Imagine, if you will, Chipman coordinating a financial services boycott of all pro-Second Amendment groups, similar to what Andrew Cuomo did to the NRA. Imagine Operation Chokepoint on steroids, as well, with Chipman coordinating the financial deplatforming/blacklisting of gun manufacturers, gun dealers, and others. There will be other avenues of corporate gun control that will be explored.
That said, while Chipman may be more powerful as “gun czar” than he would be as BATFE director, Second Amendment supporters are not helpless. They can start by passing versions of the Freedom Financing Act at the state level, ideally with language that provides a cause of action to sue banks and financial institutions that do go along with any boycott.
The defeat of Chipman’s nomination was not a worthless effort. Winning this battle was important. But it is also important to recognize that this is a full-spectrum fight that will be carried out on a long-term basis. We’ve just begun to fight.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.