Trump Canterbury ATF nominee
Chuck Canterbury (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Yesterday the Trump administration pulled the nomination of Chuck Canterbury from consideration as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Canterbury was the former head of the Fraternal Order of Police. His nomination raised some alarms among gun rights supporters and it became obvious that he was never going to get the votes needed in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Canterbury ran into trouble when Republicans weren’t pleased by his perceived evasiveness during confirmation hearings when he was asked about his stance on gun control laws. The nomination had split the gun rights community with some in support of the nomination and others opposing it.

Here’s Dudley Brown’s reaction to the news that the administration had finally thrown in the towel on their pick:

The National Association for Gun Rights was the first gun rights organization to sound the alarm on Chuck Canterbury’s abysmal record on the Second Amendment, and in the end it was his past support for gun control that tanked his nomination.

It was NAGR members who deserve the credit for defeating Canterbury.

We’re glad the committee listened to our 4.5 million members and supporters by grilling Canterbury for his past support of the “assault weapons” ban. We encourage the White House and Congress to take the next step and dismantle this failed agency once and for all.

– Dudley Brown, National Association for Gun Rights

 

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62 COMMENTS

    • Fantastic. Now instead of a Trump Appointee, the deep state will continue running the ATF. Great job guys!

      • Hard to say there was much difference between that nominee and the deep state option. The devil you know in all. I just wish trump would get his head out of his ass and send someone worth a damn as his nominee. I won’t hold my breath for the man who took Obama’s pen and phone to the next level.

      • You guys are as devoted to the cult as the Heaven’s Gate members. You have an appointee that is obviously ‘weak’ (at best) on the 2nd being appointed to one of the worst possible positions and you baaaa along because it was Trump that grabbed his name out of a hat. Are you also injecting disinfectant?

  2. At least enough of the GOP Senators are mostly on board; the Democrats not so much. I didn’t use to be a single issue voter like I have been for more than three decades now.

  3. This nomination baffled me.
    Here are some nominees Trump should consider:

    — Possum
    — Former Water Walker
    — I Haz a Question
    — Geoff…
    — Rad Man
    — Uncommon_Sense
    — SafeUpstateFML
    — Crimson Pirate
    — Sam I Am

      • Oh my gosh!! You are right!! Thank you, Aaron!

        Ralph, also!! Definitely add Ralph!

        • Well first act would be updating record keeping and in true government worker efficiency all paper 4473’s are to be shredded pulped and recycled (gotta keep ahead of that green new deal). From there …….I would probably be in jail or dead.

      • Geoff, thanks for bringing the 6.5 Creedmoor into the conversation. A round so powerful that a negligent discharge caused a rip in the time-space fabric resulting in the creation of two additional galaxies.

        Everyone, please celebrate with me the high holy day of firearms: Creedmas!
        Its only 17 days away!

    • Thank you, my fellow colleagues.

      And for my first act as Director, I hereby change the Bureau by removing the “F” and “E”, and focusing on only the “AT” as the agency was originally designated to do. This will, unfortunately, result in the reduction of staff by a considerable margin, but I understand that Walmart, Amazon, and UPS have been hiring due the increase of online commerce. When God closes a door, he opens a window.

      Mr. & Mrs. American Gunowner, have a nice day life.

    • Thanks for the vote of confidence! My first act as head of the ATFE is dismantle it😃😎😋😏 LOL

  4. John Ross has said he will do it for $1 a year.

    That’s the guy I want in charge of the ATF. If you have read Unintended Consequences, it’s probably who you want in there too.

    • He might spare some time from feeding the pigs. I never could understand his affliliation as a (D) though. I’d be pleased to see a living version of Henry take the reins, but that would require the actions to actually take place. Which are looking more possible every day

      • Feeding the pigs is small potatoes.

        We need a visionary, someone who will guard the entire potato field!

        “President Trump: “We’re going after Virginia, with your crazy governor, we’re going after Virginia. They want to take your Second Amendment. You know that, right? You’ll have nobody guarding your potatoes.”

        • If we would have had constitutional carry nation wide Arbery would not have picked up a felony conviction for exercising his 2a rights.

          Gun control laws appear to be the pinnacle of racism.

        • It was under Trump that government jackboots took my bump stocks. The hell with Don The Con! He hates the 2nd Amendment and you!

  5. First, good.

    Second, Dudley Brown is a two-bit charlatan. I hope Ttag is not going to run Dudley Brown press releases like it does Second Amendment Foundation and nssf stuff.

      • “4.5 million members and supporters”
        Are you counting everyone who likes your Facebook post like the Demanding Moms?

  6. Good news. A small win, but all good news is nice to hear.

    Trump is not a gun person, does not understand or support the Second Amendment. All speech making in support is a con game to secure votes. This nomination was just one more example of Trump saying one thing and doing another.

    So good news to see the nomination pulled back.

    The only proper action by a President toward the ATF is to hobble it, weaken it and finally to abolish it. I understand they have some of the leading experts in investigation of explosives, so move those people to the FBI as non-LEO technical and science staff. Return the ATF to following the letter of the law (Bump Stock BS rescinded!) while simultaneously working to eradicate the “F” from the “BATFE” entirely. Where experts are identified in various fields, .as in explosives, again move them as non-LEO onto FBI technical staff or encourage every thing from early retirement to outright lay-off.

    Whatever it takes to end the tyranny and bloody history* of ATF incompetence and outright attacks upon the lives, liberties and property of law abiding citizens!

    *Note, go and Google the Ken Ballew shooting of 1971 for the first example of ATF incompetence, dishonesty, exceeding the actions allowed in a search warrant and leadership arrogance getting citizens and/or officers injured or killed. These behaviors did not begin with Ruby Ridge or Waco, those only the best known and most spectacular disasters. There are many smaller examples of why the ATF must be eradicated!

    • Aren’t you the same jackass who not so long ago called the POTUS “excrement?” Now you use this topic as cover to take another slanderous, libelous cheap shot at the POTUS. When it comes to the Second Amendment you are the one lint licking Gun Control Zealots with your ignorant, sleazy, lowlife, politically inept disdain for the POTUS. The Gun Control Crowd appreciates useful idiots like you. That’s Chiseled.

      TRUMP/PENCE 2020.

      • ^^^___ MORON ALERT ___^^^

        Trump is easily the most anti-American, anti-Constitution, would be authoritarian ruler the USA has ever faced outside of King George the Third. The Trump Delusion Syndrome of his supporters blinds them to his status as excrement. No end of his lies and failures can penetrate the God-like worship of this small percentage of followers who will accept anything from a non-lefty to avoid the emotional embarrassment of having backed the wrong idiot for the Republican nomination back in 2015/2016.

        • Enuf,

          Almost perfect!! That describes me to a ‘t’. Moron, delusional, blind follower, unable to detect lies, unable to perceive failures. Please, add deplorable, misogynist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic Russian Spy to the description. That will hone it nicely.

          Much appreciated!
          Best wishes!

        • Never mind what your ignorant behind thinks about the POTUS. Want is clear and what matters here are your own words that prove you are a sneaky little rat that lays out his slander and libel then attempts to sugarcoat it with what sells. Next time instead of being sneaky and using the topic as an excuse for your POTUS bashing be up front or gfy.

        • Oh please. Trump? St. Ronnie was easily the most anti-gun president.

          How soon they forget…

        • Enuf,
          You forgot about Obama (All I need is a pen and my phone to rule the nation), Clinton (AWB), FDR (the government will take complete care of you, for a price (everything)), Wilson (no private property, no freedom to associate, no more USA )just another state in the one-world government)), Jackson (Trail of Tears…), and even Lincoln who I greatly admire as a man and leader but way overstepped the Consitution in his effort to keep the nation united.

          Trump has many faults. Not among them is his completely precedented use of executive orders to undo the many layer of government excrement that his predecessor applied via executive order and agency-level administrative ruling.

          He’s not really a gun guy, but he leans more friendly to 2A than any president in a long time. Even if it is a sales pitch, he’s more friendly that Obama was or Clinton/Biden promise(d) to be.

        • YEAH DUDE! That’s why we have to drive this antiAmerican President out by *checks notes* voting Democratic and helping people who’ve SWORN to end the Second Amendment run the country.

          “Screw the Constitution, Orange Man Bad! ” says enuf.

        • Debbie is the same one that has been spouting nonsense like this in any thread involving Trump.

          I can respect people who say they support Trump because they think his actions and appointments are better than any alternative that was available. I’m not sure I agree, but I can at least understand the argument.

          But then you have people who are just sycophants that have truly swallowed the Flavor Aid and treat Trump like North Koreans do the Kim family. I fear these people cannot be helped. There is literally nothing that Trump could do that they would not excuse away.

      • Oh come on you all know Trump sucks it. It’s OK to admit that. Saying Trump is a big stinky turd is NOT admitting you are a Hillary lover. He was the ONLY choice. But we don’t have to go on pretending he’s actually a good president. Call it like it is people.

  7. WHO dropped Canterbury’s name to the ear of the Whitehouse?

    “Fraternal Order of Police”? what’s that qualify you for? Donut inspector?

    • Isn’t it the responsibility of the Chief-of-Staff to maintain the list of potential nominees for all positions? Not sure of the inputs to those lists.

  8. Fantastic. Now instead of a Trump Appointee, the deep state will continue running the ATF. Great job guys!

  9. Canterbury was never going anywhere. His consideration simply ran the clock down closer to Nov. when perhaps Republicans will have more clout. If the ATF is to continue the director needs to be an individual whose focus is the criminal misuse of firearms and not the attributes of firearms. Ideally it should someone who does not go along just to get along with Gun Control Zealots. Someone who already knows the Roots of Gun Control are in Racism and Genocide. Someone who understands Gun Control is a Racist and Nazi Based Agenda. Nonetheless the next nominee should be an improvement.

    TRUMP/PENCE 2020.

  13. Barr was not good choice for AG either. He has in the past supported gun control laws.
    Google “ag barr supports gun control” and see what comes up.

  14. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms sounds like a convenience store, not a government agency. Alcohol should be monitored by the FDA and Tobacco by Agriculture. That would make Firearms moot, since the 2nd says the government cannot infringe upon that Right! LOL, like that won’t ever happen. Personally, I think A**holes Taking Firearms is a much more accurate description.

  15. Didn’t I read his Canterbury Tales in junior high? They were written in some weird language, like ebonics for Englishmen.

  16. Considering there’s no constitutional authorization for the BATFE to exist in the first place, it’s interesting to see those who swore an oath to that same constitution even entertaining the debate.

  17. On behalf of the TTAG nominees I paraphrase Putny Swope – “(We’re) not gonna rock the boat; (we’re) gonna sink it.”

  18. There are 120.5 guns for every 100 people here in the U.S. While so many people are busy trying to keep an eye on the deep-state what’s really going on. We need to be concerned with the rest of our God-given rights that are being taken away by those who would have us looking in the wrong direction while they steal us blind. Left, right or center doesn’t matter because you might as well be on the Titanic watching the lifeboats drift away cuz this ship is going down with most of us on it.

  19. It would be nice to just eliminate this agency. They serve no purpose but to infringe on the 2nd Amendment. We could save a lot of money.

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