White House will require background checks at gun shows

The White House announced new executive actions on gun control Monday, including a requirement for those “in the business of selling firearms” — including online or at gun shows — to obtain a license.

As a result of the move, the background checks would be required for individuals purchasing firearms in those ways. There is currently no licensing requirement for private sellers – many who sell online or at gun shows.

“Just because you shop for guns with your mouse and not your feet doesn’t mean you should be able to avoid background checks,” White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett said in a conference call Monday.

The White House is also working to bolster mental health treatment by proposing $500 million to increase access to mental health care, which will need to be approved by Congress.

After a months-long review process conducted by the administration, the president is set to formally announce the executive actions Tuesday. He’ll continue his gun control push on Thursday when he participates in a live CNN town hall discussing the plans.

“These are not only recommendations that are well within my legal authority and the executive branch, but they’re also ones that the overwhelming majority of the American people including gun owners support and believe in,” the president said after meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey, and other law enforcement officials earlier in the day. He added the proposals are also “entirely consistent with the Second Amendment and people’s lawful right to bear arms.”

“This is not going to solve every violent crime in this country. It’s not going to prevent every mass shooting. It’s not going to keep every gun out of the hands of a criminal,” he said. “It will potentially save lives in this country and spare families the pain and the extraordinary loss that they’ve suffered as a consequence of a firearm being in the hands of wrong people.”