WASHINGTON (AP) — They’re the first major gun control measures from President Joe Biden since he took office. He’s announcing executive actions Thursday aimed at addressing what the White House calls a “gun violence public health epidemic. Biden also is nominating David Chipman, a former federal agent and adviser at the gun control group Giffords, to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Biden has faced increasing pressure to act after a recent series of mass shootings, but the White House has repeatedly emphasized the need for legislative action. While the House passed a background-check bill last month, gun control measures face slim prospects in an evenly divided Senate, where Republicans remain near-unified against most proposals.