Last week, on behalf of the nation’s mayors, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran sent a letter to U.S. Senators urging them to confirm Steve Dettelbach as the next Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives this week. View the full letter here.

____________

June 17, 2022

Dear Senator,

Last week during the Annual Meeting of The U.S. Conference of Mayors the organization unanimously adopted a resolution registering its strong support for Steve Dettelbach to be the next Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and urging the United States Senate to immediately confirm his nomination. Next week his nomination is expected to come before the full Senate. I write on behalf of the nation’s mayors to urge you to vote favorably on both the cloture motion and the nomination itself.

The scourge of gun violence continues to plague our cities. It is taking the lives of too many of our residents, especially young people, and disrupting our communities. The ATF is vital to our efforts to reduce gun violence and make our cities safer. It works to stop illegal guns from entering our cities, investigate illegal gun trafficking, and regulate the gun industry. It is nearly a decade since ATF has had a confirmed director and to be able to fulfil its mission most effectively, the Bureau must have a strong, confirmed leader.

Steve Dettelbach will be such a leader. He has served as a career prosecutor and a U.S. Attorney, in senior policy roles in the U.S. Department of Justice and as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He will bring a strong enforcement and policy background to the ATF and effectively lead its efforts to enforce the laws on the books and make our cities and our nation safer. His nomination has garnered significant bipartisan support from mayors and other elected officials, from top law enforcement officials, and from federal prosecutors from Republican and Democratic administrations.

Public safety is the top priority for most mayors, and we are doing everything possible to reduce gun violence in their cities. Having a strong leader at the ATF will assist us greatly in accomplishing this. America’s mayors urge the Senate to move quickly to confirm Steve Dettelbach as the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Sincerely,

Tom Cochran
CEO and Executive Director