Senate confirms Steve Dettelbach as ATF director

July 12 (UPI) -- The Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Steve Dettelbach to serve as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Dettelbach, 56, was confirmed by a 48-46 vote that went largely along party lines with Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, voting along with Democrats to approve President Joe Biden's selection to head the ATF.

"Following the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, today's vote is another important sign that both parties can come together to support law enforcement and stand up against the horrific scourge of gun violence," President Joe Biden said in a statement following the vote.

Prior to landing the job as the head of the ATF, Dettelbach worked as a federal prosecutor for the Justice Department -- the ATF's parent agency.

"Steve understands the importance and urgency of ATF's mission and I am confident he will lead ATF with integrity, dedication and skill," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

As the ATF, which is tasked with legislating the firearms industry, Dettelbach pledged to combat "an epidemic of firearms violence" in the United States, taking the reigns in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y.; Uvalde, Texas; and Highland Park, Ill.

During his confirmation hearings, he also asserted that "politics can play no role in law enforcement" and vowing "to never let politics in any way" influence his actions as ATF director.

"I have lived that credo and I vow to continue to do it because people need to have confidence that people in law enforcement's only agenda is to enforce the law -- and if you're at the ATF to catch the bad guys and protect the public," Dettelbach said.

Tuesday's vote marked the first time the Senate has confirmed an ATF director since 2013.

B. Todd Jones, the last Senate-confirmed director of the agency told The Washington Post that a leader approved by Congress can be "meaningful within the bureau" for morale, noting that the label of "acting director: can imply that "you're a placeholder, that you've really just sort of maintained steady state operations."