Illinois Attorney General issued the following announcement on May 20.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in issuing a letter to U.S. Senate and Judiciary Committee leadership urging David Chipman's expeditious confirmation as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
"David Chipman is uniquely qualified to lead the ATF, and I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm his nomination," Raoul said. "His years of experience with the agency and work with various groups to end gun violence give him the skills and awareness needed to manage work alongside other law enforcement agencies to battle the gun violence epidemic in our country. Partnerships with the ATF are key to keeping firearms out of the wrong hands and keeping our communities safe, and I look forward to working with David Chipman to protect Illinois residents once he is confirmed."
In the letter, Raoul and the attorneys general note that as the chief legal officers in their respective states and territories, they regularly work with the ATF to combat violent criminals and gun trafficking, and that those partnerships have proven invaluable in eliminating criminal organizations, fighting gun trafficking and ensuring that the reasonable restrictions placed on gun possession are enforced without harming law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights. For instance, Attorney General Raoul's office previously collaborated with the ATF in a gunrunning case against two individuals who were allegedly selling stolen firearms in DuPage and Cook counties, as well as a case against a Cook County man who allegedly possessed several illegal firearms.
Throughout his career, Chipman has used his knowledge of illegal gun trafficking and gun trafficking laws to employ strategies to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals. Chipman, a 25-year veteran of the ATF, has experience as an adviser to policymakers, advocates and community groups. Raoul and the coalition assert that as director of the ATF, Chipman would leverage this experience to effectively work with communities and law enforcement to make the nation safer and to put an end to gun violence.
Original source can be found here.