by It has been a while since we have had any news to report on Andrew Traver – President Obama’s anti-gun nominee to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Thanks to Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (Rino-IL), we have something. They sent a joint letter yesterday to Obama expressing their support for Traver.
In a press release that announcing the letter, they urged the NRA to reconsider it opposition to Traver and give him a second look. A different version of the release sent to local newspapers gives the impression that Traver’s nomination was supported by NSSF.
Traver’s efforts to combat gangs and violent crime in Illinois have drawn bipartisan praise, and his efforts to work cooperatively with the firearms industry have been applauded by industry leaders such as National Shooting Sports Foundation Senior Vice President Lawrence G. Keane.
This is incorrect and NSSF has posted a demand for a retraction on their website which could explain the different versions of the press release. Neither NSSF nor Larry Keane have endorsed Andrew Traver to head ATF and they object to the phrasing of the letter to Obama. The full text of the letter from Durbin and Kirk is below.
February 4, 2011
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D. C.Dear Mr. President:
We commend you for nominating Andrew Traver to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). ATF has been without a Senate-confirmed Director since 2006, and this lack of leadership has hampered our nation’s efforts to combat street gangs and drug cartels and to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. It is long past time for the ATF Director position to be filled, and we believe the record will show that Mr. Traver is the right man for the job.
ATF is a major federal law enforcement agency with approximately 5,000 officers and field division offices located in 25 U.S. cities and 5 foreign countries. While ATF has a dual role as regulator of the U.S. firearms industry and as primary enforcer of federal firearms laws, ATF performs other vital missions critical to our homeland security. For example, the agency plays leadership roles in combating Mexican drug cartels, coordinating the federal law enforcement security response to potential attacks involving weapons of mass destruction, and investigating incidents involving explosives and arson. ATF additionally serves as a key partner in efforts to combat the violent street gangs that plague many of America’s cities. It is critical that the agency have a Director who can manage the agency’s operations and carry out these functions effectively.
We believe Mr. Traver is an exceptional nominee for ATF Director. A Navy veteran and a cancer survivor, Mr. Traver is a 23-year veteran of ATF who served for the last four years as Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Chicago Field Division. Under his leadership, the ATF Chicago Field Division has spearheaded major investigations and enforcement actions against numerous Chicago-area street gangs, including the Latin Kings, the Gangster Disciples, and the Aurora Insane Deuces. Mr. Traver’s efforts to combat gangs and violent crime in Illinois have drawn bipartisan praise, and his efforts to work cooperatively with the firearms industry have been applauded by industry leaders such as National Shooting Sports Foundation Senior Vice President Lawrence G. Keane. We know Mr. Traver personally and can vouch that he is a no-nonsense, results-oriented leader who takes seriously his commitment to enforcing the laws on the books.
We are aware that the National Rifle Association issued an early initial statement opposing his nomination. We believe the NRA should take the opportunity to hear Mr. Traver present his case for confirmation and to permit a review of his qualifications by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The NRA commendably waited until after hearings had taken place before taking a position on the nominations of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. As a veteran and decorated federal law enforcement officer, Mr. Traver deserves similar respect for the service he provided the nation in and out of uniform.
It is crucial to the security of our nation and our citizens that we enable ATF to effectively carry out its mission and enforce the law. We will urge our colleagues to judge Andrew Traver’s nomination on the merits and are confident that they will find him to be an outstanding nominee. He has served his country and Illinois with distinction and we believe the record will show he deserves to be confirmed.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin Mark Kirk