Obama Considering Executive Action on Gun Control

During his weekly address on Friday, President Obama plans to sit down with Attorney General Loretta Lynch after returning from his Hawaiian vacation to discuss gun control options, a move which cements his desire to seek out a unilateral action the president could take on gun control. White House officials won’t confirm the timing.

The most important measure will reportedly attempt to at least partially close the “gun control loophole” by requiring some unlicensed gun dealers – those who sell online or at gun shows but do not have a physical store – to get licenses and run background checks on buyers.

President Barack Obama will press ahead with a set of executive actions on guns next week despite growing terror concerns in the USA that have dampened some Americans’ enthusiasm for tighter firearms restrictions.

President Obama says that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying.

“The rest of us are going to be have to be just as passionate in our defence of our kids”. “That’s the work of citizenship – to stand up and fight for the change that we seek”, he said.

“But what if we tried to stop even one?”

Obama said he was moving unilaterally because Congress had failed to address the growing problem of gun violence.

The President Obama recently ordered staff at the White House to look into potential executive actions.

The Wall Street Journal reports that under federal law, people convicted of violence against a spouse, co-spouse or cohabiting partner are prohibited from buying guns – but not people convicted of stalking or violence against a current or former dating partner.

According to a July Pew Research Center, 85 percent favor such policies, and the sentiment crosses political and ideological lines: 79 percent of Republicans, 88 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of those who say they prioritize the protection of gun rights over controlling gun ownership also favor background checks for private sales.

Previous efforts to introduce stricter gun control laws had repeatedly foundered despite the large number of people dying in gun attacks.

Obama has consistently expressed frustration after mass shootings, saying it shouldn’t be so easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm to get his or her hands on a gun.

“It was supported by a majority of NRA households but the gun lobby mobilised against it and the senate blocked it”.

While no firm date has been established by the administration, Obama is likely to make his move before his final State of the Union address on January 12.

His calls grew louder following the 2012 massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, and again after mass shootings in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and San Bernardino, California in recent months.

Ted Alcorn, analysis director for gun control advocacy group Everytown, stated Everytown officers met with Obama in December to make suggestions for government motion.

He noted that “tens of thousands” of Americans had been “mowed down by gun violence” since lawmakers rejected a bill three years ago to expand background checks. Factors would include volume and speed of sales, and whether or not the seller relies on advertising to sell guns.