President Barack Obama has just unveiled his new gun control plan, promising to take unprecedented measures to ensure expansive reform.
Here’s a quick summary of what you need to know:
Expanding Background Checks
- All gun sellers, whether at gun shows or on the internet, must have licenses and conduct background checks.
- Attorney General Loretta Lynch will work with the states to facilitate the expansion of access to the criminal history and mental illness records of potential gun guyers.
- In order to ensure the successful expansion of these background checks, the FBI will be implementing new practices. These new measures include completely revamping the out-dated background check system already in place, processing background checks 24/7, and hiring more than 230 new staff members to help with the added workload.
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Enforcement
- The ATF will not track online sales of illegal firearms through the newly established Internet Investigation Center.
- President Obama will add funding for 200 new ATF agents to the 2017 fiscal year budget.
- The ATF is working on a new rule that would force dealers to notify law enforcement if their guns have been lost or stolen.
Increased Focus on Mental Health
- Obama will allocate $500 million to increase mental health care access.
- The Social Security Administration will provide the new background check system with information regarding gun owner’s beneficiaries who are banned from accessing guns due to criminal or mental health history.
Improve Gun Safety Technology
- The Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security will each launch new research projects designed to improve gun safety technology