Obama starts 2016 with a fight over gun control

President Barack Obama is slated to finalise a set of new executive actions tightening the nation’s gun laws, making his first order of business in the new year a clear signal the president in his final year doesn’t intend to go quietly. At a meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey and other top law enforcement officials scheduled for Monday, Obama is expected to sign off on a package of proposals aimed at curbing gun violence and cracking down on unregulated gun sales. At the top of the list is an effort to expand background checks on firearm sales by forcing more sellers to register as federally licensed gun dealers.

We definitely think there are things he can do. It’s very clear that the White House is feeling emboldened.

Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

On Thursday, he’ll take his argument to prime time, participating in a town hall discussion of gun violence on CNN. He’s slated to make his case for changes in his State of the Union address on Jan. 12. Obama’s plans to bypass Congress on gun control were not popular among the thousands attending the weekend’s Crossroads of the West gun show in Ontario in California. The two-day event - taking place 20 miles from the scene of the ISIS-inspired mass shooting in San Bernardino a month ago - saw a surge in ticket sales. The “Obama Sucks” T-shirt was perhaps a measure of the gun lobby’s views on Washington right now.

I am absolutely convinced we can have gun safety measures consistent with the Constitution.

Democrat presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton

Americas Obama gun control