WASHINGTON — A group of more than 100 law enforcement leaders on Tuesday endorsed President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the White House said, bolstering the nominee less than a week after his Senate confirmation hearing.
The endorsements of Steve Dettelbach, a former U.S. attorney whom Biden nominated in April, include a mix of police chiefs, sheriffs, and district attorneys, including former New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.
Dettelbach is seeking to become only the second person confirmed by the Senate to lead ATF, and the first since former ATF Director B. Todd Jones in 2013. His nomination has received extra attention since the mass shootings this month in Buffalo, which left 10 dead, and Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 children and two adults, dual tragedies that have reignited a national debate about limiting access to firearms and other ways to reduce gun-related violence.
