Obama considers using executive authority to expand gun buyer background checks
President Barack Obama is considering using his executive authority to expand the number of gun sellers required to perform background checks of gun buyers.
The proposal would require those who sell more than a certain number of guns each year to get a license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and to perform the checks, the Washington Post reports.
Currently, only those who are “engaged in the business” of selling guns have to obtain a license and perform the background checks. The current law exempts those who occasionally sell guns or who sell guns from their private collections.
An initial White House proposal debated in 2013 would have applied the background checks requirement to anyone who sells at least 50 guns a year, according to the Post. The idea was dropped amid concerns it would be difficult to enforce and subject to legal challenge.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Hillary Clinton’s gun control plan includes both legislation and executive actions”
