Obama to go after gun background checks next week

President Barack Obama will visit Germany in April to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in an effort to boost U.S.-European trade and investment, the White House said Wednesday.

Described as “imminent”, the set of executive actions would fulfill a promise by the President to take further unilateral steps the White House says could help curb gun deaths.

Observers have speculated the actions would be handed down before Obama’s State of the Union address on January 12. The Politico reported this week that the White House is planning at least a half-dozen such trips in 2016.

The White House has refused to comment specifically on the scope of the actions or when they will be issued.

“The fact is, the President’s gun control agenda will only make it harder for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to self-defense”, NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker.

The changes, which could come as soon as next week, would include requiring more small-scale gun sellers to be licensed and to conduct a background check whenever selling a weapon, Politico reported.

Since the start of Plan Colombia, both Republican and Democrat administrations have provided more than $10 billion in aid to Colombia, much of it to combat cocaine trafficking that for decades has fueled political violence. This wouldn’t close the so-called gun show loophole, though it has the potential to narrow it.

“The president has made clear he’s not satisfied with where we are and expects that work to be completed soon”, he said.