Biden to announce executive actions to curb gun violence

President Biden is set to unveil his first attempts to curb gun violence on Thursday, announcing a set of modest moves designed to begin revamping federal gun policy by tweaking the government's definition of a firearm and more aggressively responding to urban gun violence. 

Mr. Biden on Thursday is also set to nominate David Chipman, a former special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to lead the agency. A widely-quoted expert on gun violence, Chipman in recent years has served as policy director for Giffords, the gun control organization founded by former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was wounded in a 2011 assassination attempt.  If confirmed, Chipman would be the first permanent director of the agency in more than six years. Given the fraught nature of gun politics, only one ATF director has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate in the last 15 years, leaving the agency mostly run by a string of acting bosses.