2016 Set to See Obama Take Executive Action on Gun Control

President Obama is set to take action on gun control, and is expected to make the long-expected executive orders next week before his January 12 State of the Union address.

While details are reportedly still being hammered out, Politico reports that the changes include requiring an expanded number of small-scale gun sellers to be licensed, and therefore to conduct background checks whenever selling a weapon, as well as tighter rules for reporting guns that get lost or stolen on their way to a buyer.

These actions are nowhere near as strong as what the president had sought to accomplish, but it is unlikely that any new gun control laws will pass through Congress during the election 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," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told CNN.

Gun control activists have long lobbied for universal background checks, and closing the “gun show” loophole, but attempts at that have failed to pass Congress.

Federal law currently requires all individuals "engaged in the business" of selling guns to obtain a license and conduct background checks on buyers, but only if guns are the seller's primary source of income. Those who sell guns on the side or are selling firearms from a personal collection are exempted from the background check requirement.

The National Rifle Association has been tight-lipped the past few days, but previously told CNN that the "gun control agenda was rejected by Congress. Now, [Obama] is doing what he always does when he doesn't get his way, defying the will of the people and using executive action."

It has been reported that along with the new gun control orders, the president will also announce more funding for government agencies to better enforce the already existing gun laws.