The Senate Judiciary Committee heard from the White House nominee for the nation’s firearms bureau hours after the shooting death of 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Texas. He offered one option for Democratic lawmakers to act on gun safety in the coming year.
Steven Dettelbach, an experienced prosecutor who was the U.S. Attorney in Cleveland for almost seven years under the Obama administration, has vowed that he will follow the directives of Congress regarding new gun control policies if he is confirmed as head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Dettelbach stated Wednesday that “politics cannot play any role in law enforcement. None at all.”
Since 2007, the agency has been without a permanent director. After intense criticism from lawmakers and gun industry groups, President Biden pulled his first nominee for the position. The Senate also rejected the nomination of former President Donald Trump, who was the leader of the nation’s most powerful police union.
Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senate Judiciary Chairman, stated that “the gun groups want it vacant; they don’t want the agency to do its job.”
The White House stated that this time, however, could be different. Dettelbach is supported by major police and sheriff organisations, eight former ATF directors, and 141 Justice Department officials, from both political parties.
The largest group of pediatric surgeons in America endorsed Dettelbach last month as a leader who has a track record of being successful. Gun-related injuries are now the leading cause for death among American teenagers and children.
Dettelbach responded to lawmakers’ questions with caution, stating that he did not come to the job with any specific policy goals. Dettelbach said he supports strong partnerships between state and local law enforcement agencies. He also supported the idea of working together to create larger cases against criminal gangs and trace weapons used in crimes.
He stated that ATF is a partner in law enforcement and boots-on the ground, which is the philosophy he would bring to ATF.
The Senate’s fate in gun safety legislation seems uncertain. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said that “the minimum we could do was deliver a Senate-confirmed leader for the ATF.”
The committee was pressed by Republicans to ask Dettelbach why there were so few gun prosecutions during his tenure in the Northern District of Ohio.
“What is the explanation?” asked Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
Although he was unsure why these cases have declined over the past few years, he stated that prosecuting weapons violations was a top priority for his office and that he has never modified that policy.
Republican lawmakers also inquired about Dettelbach’s support for banning assault weapons in his unsuccessful 2018 campaign to be elected attorney general of Ohio. He stated that it would be up to a legislative body to accomplish this work.
Dettelbach may have a narrow path to confirmation if the Senate Democrats stick together. Dettelbach received a boost Wednesday from Sen. Angus King of Maine, who is an independent and caucuses alongside Democrats. He told CNN that he was leaning toward voting for Dettelbach.
King stated, “This guy’s the right guy.”
