WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will announce executive actions Tuesday designed to expand background checks for firearms and step up federal enforcement of the nation's gun laws, White House officials said Monday, once again trying to sidestep a gridlocked Congress on a divisive issue.
But Obama will stop short of the kind of large-scale changes that he unsuccessfully sought from Congress three years ago. That legislation would have closed loopholes that allowed millions of guns to be sold without background checks at gun shows or in online firearm exchanges.
Instead, Obama will merely clarify that existing laws require anyone making a living from selling guns to register as a licensed gun dealer and conduct background checks. White House officials said the president would note that criminal penalties already existed for violating those laws.
"Although we have a strong tradition of gun ownership, even those who possess firearms for hunting, for self-protection and for other legitimate reasons want to make sure that the wrong people don't have them for the wrong reasons," Obama told reporters Monday afternoon.
In addition to background checks, Obama will direct agencies to engage in more gun research, encourage more federal prosecution of domestic violence cases, crack down on gun purchases by corporations and trusts, and request new funding for 200 law enforcement agents and better access to mental health care.
Obama is also scheduled to talk about guns in a town hall-style meeting Thursday evening that will be shown live on CNN.
The prospect of the president's announcements on guns has already prompted angry accusations of executive overreach from Republicans and other gun-rights activists.
Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin on Monday warned that "the president is again targeting law-abiding citizens, intruding further into innocent Americans' lives." Decrying what he said was the subversion of Congress, Ryan said the country deserved "a president who will respect their constitutional rights — all of them."
He continued, "This is a dangerous level of executive overreach, and the country will not stand for it."