Obama to tighten gun control in U.S.

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama defended his plans to tighten his country’s guncontrol restrictions on his own, insisting Monday that the steps he’ll announce fall within his legal authority and uphold the constitutional right to own a gun as he set himself up for a certain confrontation with Congress.

Opening his final year in office, Obama summoned his attorney general and FBI chief to the Oval Office to firm up a set of measures he said he’d announce over the next few days. Although the details are still uncertain, Obama’s administration has been preparing behind the scenes to expand background checks on gun sales by forcing more sellers to register as dealers.

“This is not going to solve every violent crime in this country,” Obama said, tempering expectations for gun-control advocates calling for far-reaching executive action. “It’s not going to prevent every mass shooting; it’s not going to keep every gun out of the hands of a criminal. It will potentially save lives and spare families the pain of these extraordinary losses.”

Obama is training his attention once again on a policy goal that has eluded his administration. He tried the legislative route in 2013, pushing hard for a package that included expanded background checks. But that effort collapsed spectacularly in Congress. Obama and his aides have described their inability to move the issue forward as one of the most frustrating failures in his presidency.

This time, Obama is eschewing Congress in favour of presidential action. Any proposal for new gun laws would be a non-starter in the Republican-controlled Congress — especially in a presidential election year.

Obama’s steps were certain to draw intense opposition in Congress, and indeed, lawmakers and Obama’s political opponents had already started pre-emptively panning Obama’s plan. House Speaker Paul Ryan dismissed it as an attempt to distract from Obama’s “failed policies” to address terrorism.

The changes to the background check would be aimed at some unregistered sellers who skirt the requirement by selling at gun shows, online or informal settings.