Tuesday’s deadly mass shooting at a Texas elementary school loomed large over Wednesday’s Senate confirmation hearing for President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Steven Dettelbach, a former federal prosecutor in Ohio, said in his opening remarks to the Judiciary Committee: "For me and for many, last night was a night where parents everywhere hug their kids just a little bit harder. At the end of the day, I know I did."

The ATF was among the agencies that responded to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old gunman fatally shot 21 people, including 19 children, before being killed by law enforcement.

Dettelbach is Biden’s second pick to head the ATF, which has not had a Senate-confirmed director since 2015. The White House withdrew the nomination for Biden’s first choice, former ATF agent David Chipman, when it became clear he was unlikely to be confirmed. Chipman’s past advocacy for a ban on assault-style rifles and expanded background checks not only drew opposition from Republicans, but also from some moderate Democrats.

The events in Uvalde were impossible to ignore at the hearing.

“Yesterday, 19 little girls and boys, just like my granddaughter, did not come home from school,” said committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill. “Two teachers lost their lives. Some shooter managed to buy, at age 18, two semiautomatic weapons and to turn them into killing machines, killing innocent children in the classroom. I wish I could say, ‘Well that's never happened before in America.’”

Democrats reiterated their calls for new gun control laws.

“I believe that we must move forward with gun violence prevention reforms that will make our laws more effective and give you more tools that you need in saving communities and individual lives,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Dettelbach. 

“I believe in the Second Amendment,” Blumenthal continued. “It's the law of the land. There are measures we can take that are consistent with the Second Amendment that will separate people from firearms if they are dangerous to themselves rather, red flag statutes, background checks, safe store like Ethan's law, ghost gun bans and others.”

Added Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del: “It will happen again and again until we collectively decide to find a path forward to responsibly address it.”

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, however, accused Democrats of wanting to “crack down on law-abiding Americans and federal firearms licensees who want to follow the law, instead of armed criminals.”

Lee said there’s been a failure to address the root causes that lead to mass shootings. 

“Why is our culture suddenly producing so many young men who want to murder innocent people?” asked Lee, suggesting factors such as children without fathers in their lives and the glorification of violence could be to blame.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., challenged the opinion of some conservatives that there should be armed teachers and more armed security on school campuses.

“If more guns were the answer, the United States would be the safest nation in the world,” he said. “But it's not the case.”

Democrats directed their frustration at Republicans and the pro-gun lobby for the ATF post remaining vacant since since Todd Jones stepped down in 2015. Three different acting directors have led the bureau since.

“This is an agency which has the technical capacity to help us to solve gun crimes and to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them,” Durbin said. “Do you know when the last time was that there was a head of this agency, somebody actually named to head the agency? Seven years ago. Under the previous president, the spot went vacant for four years. Why? Because the gun groups want it to go vacant. They don't want a strong agency doing its job.”

“This is despicable that the same people that tried to accuse us, wrongfully, of defunding the police have taken one of the most important law enforcement agencies to protect Americans, to protect our children, our churches, our mosques, our synagogues, our parks, our supermarkets —  (it’s) not allowed to do their job,” said Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. “And we yet again are sacrificing our children on the altar of inaction.”

Like Chipman, Dettelbach has previously voice support for an assault weapon ban, having campaigned on it during his 2018 run for Ohio attorney general. 

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pressed Dettelbach to define the term “assault weapon.”

"When I was a candidate for office I did talk about restrictions on assault weapons,” Dettelbach admitted. “I did not define the term, and I haven't gone through the process of defining that term. That would only be for the Congress, if it chose to take that up.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the committee's top-ranking Republican, said he has "grave concerns" about Dettlebach's nomination.

"I’m concerned this administration is responding to demands to focus on the ATF’s regulatory responsibilities at the expense of its law enforcement duties," he said.

Seven former ATF directors and dozens of law enforcement officials, as well as the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Associations, have endorsed Dettelbach. 

In an encouraging sign for the nominee, Sen. Angus King, a left-leaning independent from Maine who strongly opposed Chipman’s nomination, said Wednesday he is “inclined to support” Dettelbach, saying his “attitude” is much different than Chipman’s, CNN reported. 

“This guy is the right guy,” King told the network.

Dettelbach can be confirmed with no Republican support if there are no Democratic defections.

Dettelbach vowed to insulate the ATF from political interference if he’s confirmed. 

"Politics can play no role in law enforcement. None at all," he said.

“Violent crime is increasing,” Dettelbach said. “Firearms violence and mass shootings are increasing. Hate crimes and religious violence are increasing, as is violent extremism,” Dettelbach said. “If confirmed, I promise to do everything I can to enforce the law, to respect the Constitution of the United States and to partner with law enforcement to protect the safety and the rights of innocent and law-abiding Americans.”