Obama to announce newexecutive action on guns

President Barack Obama is expected to
announce in the coming days a new executive
action with the goal of expanding background
checks on gun sales, people familiar with White
House planning said.

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.
Plans for the action are not yet complete, and
those familiar with the process warn that
unforeseen circumstances could delay an
announcement. But gun control advocates are
expecting the new actions to be revealed next
week, ahead of Obama's annual State of the Union
address, set for January 12.
The White House wouldn't comment directly on the
exact timing or content of Obama's executive
orders. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said
that the President expected a set of
recommendations on unilateral action to arrive at
the beginning of the year.
He said Obama was "expressing urgency" for a list
of steps he can take on his own after high-profile
incidents of gun violence at the end of this year.
"It is complicated. That's why it's taken some time
for our policy folks, our lawyers, and our experts to
work through this and see what's possible," Schultz
said.
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A spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association
said the group had no comment. The group
previously told CNN that Obama's "gun control
agenda was rejected by Congress. Now, he is
doing what he always does when he doesn't get
his way, defying the will of the people and using
executive action."
The group said at the time that Obama had his
"wish list of gun control," in California but "it didn't
prevent the San Bernardino attack."
"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.
Gun control advocates and White House officials
say the focus remains on the so-called "gun show
loophole," which allows certain sellers of guns -- at
gun shows and elsewhere -- to avoid conducting
background checks before making sales.
Months after the Newtown, Connecticut elementary
school massacre that claimed 26 victims, the then-
Democratic majority Senate rejected a similar
proposal.
Three years after Newtown, Obama lambasts
inaction on guns
Congress would still need to act in order to make
background checks fully universal. But advocates
and administration lawyers have struck upon a
provision in the law that could allow for Obama to
expand the background check requirement to
additional sellers.
Federal law currently requires all individuals
"engaged in the business" of selling guns to obtain
a license and conduct background checks on
buyers. But others who only make occasional sales
or are selling firearms from a personal collection
are exempted from the background check
requirement.
Gun control advocates say Obama could take
action himself by issuing a regulation that provides
expanded guidance on who falls under the "in the
business" standard.
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Bernardino shooting
One group, the Michael Bloomberg-helmed
Everytown for Gun Safety, has provided
recommendations to the White House that include
creating a test for assessing who must become
licensed to continue selling guns. Factors would
include volume and speed of sales, and whether or
not the seller relies on advertising to sell guns.
The group also recommended Obama define a gun
in a "personal collection" as having been in the
seller's possession for at least a year.
Before leaving for his winter vacation in Hawaii,
Obama met with Bloomberg at the White House to
discuss gun control.
Aside from the background check provision, people
familiar with Obama's plans say his new gun
control announcement will include new funding for
government agencies to better enforce existing gun
laws.
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