Obama
moves
to
require
background
checks
for
more
gun
sales
The
Seattle
Times
Although
Obama
can
t
unilaterally
change
gun
laws
the
president
is
hoping
that
beefing
up
enforcement
of
existing
laws
can
prevent
at
least
some
gun
deaths
in
a
country
rife
with
them
WASHINGTON
AP
President
Barack
Obama
moved
Monday
to
expand
background
checks
to
cover
more
firearms
sold
at
gun
shows
online
and
anywhere
else
aiming
to
curb
a
scourge
of
gun
violence
despite
unyielding
opposition
to
new
laws
in
Congress
Obama
s
plan
to
broaden
background
checks
forms
the
centerpiece
of
a
broader
package
of
gun
control
measures
the
president
plans
to
take
on
his
own
in
his
final
year
in
office
Although
Obama
can
t
unilaterally
change
gun
laws
the
president
is
hoping
that
beefing
up
enforcement
of
existing
laws
can
prevent
at
least
some
gun
deaths
in
a
country
rife
with
them
Washington
state
voters
last
fall
passed
Initiative
594
that
expanded
background
checks
for
gun
buyers
to
include
private
sales
and
transfers
such
as
those
conducted
online
or
at
gun
shows
Gun
store
owner
moving
out
of
Seattle
because
of
new
tax
This
is
not
going
to
solve
every
violent
crime
in
this
country
Obama
said
Still
he
added
It
will
potentially
save
lives
and
spare
families
the
pain
of
these
extraordinary
losses
Under
current
law
only
federally
licensed
gun
dealers
must
conduct
background
checks
on
buyers
but
many
who
sell
guns
at
flea
markets
on
websites
or
in
other
informal
settings
don
t
register
as
dealers
Gun
control
advocates
say
that
loophole
is
exploited
to
skirt
the
background
check
requirement
Now
the
Justice
Department
s
Bureau
of
Alcohol
Tobacco
Firearms
and
Explosives
will
issue
updated
guidance
that
says
the
government
should
deem
anyone
in
the
business
of
selling
guns
to
be
a
dealer
regardless
of
where
he
or
she
sells
the
guns
To
that
end
the
government
will
consider
other
factors
including
how
many
guns
a
person
sells
and
how
frequently
and
whether
those
guns
are
sold
for
a
profit
The
executive
actions
on
gun
control
fall
far
short
of
what
Obama
and
likeminded
lawmakers
attempted
to
accomplish
with
legislation
in
2013
after
a
massacre
at
a
Connecticut
elementary
school
that
shook
the
nation
s
conscience
Even
still
the
more
modest
measures
were
sure
to
spark
legal
challenges
from
those
who
oppose
any
new
impediments
to
buying
guns
We
re
very
comfortable
that
the
president
can
legally
take
these
actions
said
Attorney
General
Loretta
Lynch
Obama
s
announcement
was
hailed
by
Democratic
lawmakers
and
gun
control
groups
like
the
Brady
Campaign
to
Prevent
Gun
Violence
which
claimed
Obama
was
making
history
with
bold
and
meaningful
action
that
would
make
all
Americans
safer
Hillary
Clinton
at
a
rally
in
Iowa
said
she
was
so
proud
of
Obama
but
warned
that
the
next
president
could
easily
undo
his
changes
I
won
t
wipe
it
away
Clinton
said
But
Republicans
were
quick
to
accuse
Obama
of
gross
overreach
Sen
Bob
Corker
R
Tenn
denounced
Obama
s
steps
as
divisive
and
detrimental
to
real
solutions
I
will
work
with
my
colleagues
to
respond
appropriately
to
ensure
the
Constitution
is
respected
Corker
said
Far
from
mandating
background
checks
for
all
gun
sales
the
new
guidance
still
exempts
collectors
and
gun
hobbyists
and
the
exact
definition
of
who
must
register
as
a
dealer
and
conduct
background
checks
remains
exceedingly
vague
The
administration
did
not
issue
a
number
for
how
many
guns
someone
must
sell
to
be
considered
a
dealer
instead
saying
it
planned
to
remind
people
that
courts
have
deemed
people
to
be
dealers
in
some
cases
even
if
they
only
sell
a
handful
of
guns
And
the
background
check
provision
rests
in
the
murky
realm
of
agency
guidelines
which
have
less
force
than
full
fledged
federal
regulations
and
can
easily
be
rescinded
Many
of
the
Republican
presidential
candidates
running
to
succeed
Obama
have
vowed
to
rip
up
his
new
gun
restrictions
upon
taking
office
In
an
attempt
to
prevent
gun
purchases
from
falling
through
the
cracks
the
FBI
will
hire
230
more
examiners
to
process
background
checks
the
White
House
said
an
increase
of
about
50
percent
Many
of
the
roughly
63
000
background
check
requests
each
day
are
processed
within
seconds
But
if
the
system
kicks
back
a
request
for
further
review
the
government
only
has
three
days
before
federal
law
says
the
buyer
can
return
and
buy
the
gun
without
being
cleared
That
weak
spot
in
the
system
came
under
scrutiny
last
summer
when
the
FBI
revealed
that
Dylann
Roof
the
accused
gunman
in
the
Charleston
S
C
church
massacre
was
improperly
allowed
to
buy
a
gun
because
incomplete
record
keeping
and
miscommunication
among
authorities
delayed
processing
of
his
background
check
beyond
the
three
day
limit
The
White
House
also
said
it
planned
to
ask
Congress
for
500
million
to
improve
mental
health
care
and
Obama
issued
a
memorandum
directing
federal
agencies
to
conduct
or
sponsor
research
into
smart
gun
technology
that
reduces
the
risk
of
accidental
gun
discharges
The
Obama
administration
also
plans
to
complete
a
rule
already
in
the
works
to
close
another
loophole
that
allows
trusts
or
corporations
to
purchase
sawed
off
shotguns
machine
guns
and
similar
weapons
without
background
checks
Obama
planned
to
announce
the
new
measures
at
an
event
at
the
White
House
on
Tuesday
as
he
continued
a
weeklong
push
to
promote
the
gun
effort
and
push
back
on
its
critics
He
met
at
the
White
House
on
Monday
with
Democratic
lawmakers
who
have
supported
stricter
gun
control
and
planned
to
take
his
argument
to
prime
time
Thursday
with
a
televised
town
hall
discussion
The
initiative
also
promised
to
be
prominent
in
Obama
s
final
State
of
the
Union
address
next
week
Whether
the
new
steps
will
effectively
prevent
future
gun
deaths
remained
unclear
Philip
Cook
a
Duke
University
professor
who
researches
gun
violence
and
policy
said
surveys
of
prisoners
don
t
show
gun
shows
to
be
a
major
direct
source
of
weapons
used
in
violent
crime
The
attorney
general
asked
how
many
dealers
would
be
newly
forced
to
register
declined
to
give
a
number
It
s
just
impossible
to
predict
Lynch
said
