Gun violence has been an important topic in recent years, due to the severity of recent events.  In 2015, there were more mass shootings than there were days.  This is if you use the definition of a mass shooting “an incident in which at least four people are killed or wounded.”  Between the years of 2009 and 2013, over 30,000 people were killed each year by guns.  Of these mass shootings, some are more fatal than others.  These include shootings like San Bernardino, Charleston, or Sandy Hook that each took at least nine lives.

It is because of facts such as these, that many Americans advocate gun control, in an attempt to prevent these events from occurring so often.  President Obama said it is because of Americans such as these, claiming he receives many letters from them, that he is now taking action on this issue.  

President Obama stated he wishes to close the “Gun Show Loophole” where small dealers of firearms are not required to be licensed and do not have to conduct background checks on people that they sell firearms to, as long as they have no reason to believe they should not sell firearms to that person.   President Obama, and many gun control advocates, view this as an issue as reports show that it is through methods, like the Gun Show Loophole, that guns used for criminal activity are acquired.  

However, Obama faces a Republican Congress in his fight to enforce stricter gun control.  Senate has already rejected two measures on gun control in December of 2015.  In response, Obama has threatened to bypass Congress and utilize executive action.  Continuing this battle, Republican Speaker of House, Paul Ryan, noted that Obama may well be overreaching his executive authority, and that the country will not stand for it.