Biden to unveil 6 executive actions to curb gun violence, nominate a permanent ATF director
President Joe Biden is set to unveil six executive actions aimed at curbing gun violence on Thursday, following a string of mass shootings that has put pressure on the administration to act the president’s long-held campaign promise to tackle gun control.
The president also is expected to announce his nomination of David Chipman as the director of the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to senior administration officials. Chipman is an ATF veteran who currently serves as an adviser for the gun control advocacy group named for former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who survived a 2011 mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, as a congresswoman.
The first action will direct the Department of Justice to propose a rule within 30 days to stop the proliferation of so-called “ghost guns,” or makeshift weapons that can be constructed at home or that lack a serial number, according to a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the actions ahead of the president’s announcement. The official declined to say whether that meant the Justice Department would classify “ghost guns” as firearms.
suspect behind a Boulder, Colorado, grocery store shooting last month that left 10 people dead used a Ruger AR-556 pistol, which looks and operates like a rifle, and even uses the same ammunition as the AR-15 weapon used dozens of U.S. mass killings, but doesn’t qualify as one under U.S. gun laws. The official pointed out the suspect used a pistol that included an arm brace, “which can make a firearm more stable and accurate while still being concealable.”
The president has come under immense pressure from gun safety advocacy groups and Democrats to address gun violence after mass shootings in Colorado, Georgia and California thrust gun control back into the national conversation in recent weeks. A recent poll ABC News/Ipsos poll found that a majority of Americans (57%) disapproved of the way Biden has handled gun violence as president among both Democrats and Republicans.
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As a candidate, Biden pledged to reinstate an assault weapons ban, create a voluntary gun buyback program and send a bill to Congress to repeal liability protections for gun manufacturers and close background check loopholes on his first day in office. The president instead focused much of his attention in his first days in office on passing his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package and, more recently, his $2 trillion infrastructure plan.
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The president will also direct the Justice Department to publish model “red flag” legislation for states that want to enact such laws that enable family members or members of law enforcement to petition for court order to temporarily bar people in crisis from accessing firearms if they present a danger to themselves or others. Biden will also sign an order directing the Justice Department to issue an annual report on firearms trafficking, which the ATF has not done since 2000.
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John Feinblatt, the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said the actions “will start to address the epidemic of gun violence that has raged throughout the pandemic, and begin to make good on President Biden’s promise to be the strongest gun safety president in history.”
Feinblatt said Biden’s decision to treat ghost guns “like the deadly weapons they are will undoubtedly save countless lives – as will the critical funding provided to groups that focus on city gun violence.”
Giffords, who is married to Sen. Mark Kelly, said the actions delivered on Biden’s promise to take action in his first 100 days in office.
“Days like today are why we fought so hard to bring a gun safety champion to the White House. These executive actions help address a crisis that devastates communities across the country on a daily basis. Today we have hope that a brighter future is in store,” she said.
Giffords also praised the White House for Chipman’s nomination.
“As a responsible gun owner, decorated law enforcement professional, and gun safety expert, David is the perfect choice for ATF director,” she added.
Contributing: Kevin Johnson, Nicholas Penzenstadler