(CNN)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.
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.
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.
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.