President Obama isn t lying down and playing dead as the NRA and their congressional lackeys allow guns to proliferate across America at an alarming pace. In the first month of his last full year in office, President Obama is launching a new series of executive actions squarely aimed at cutting down the amount of victims of gun violence we see from coast to coast.The White House released a fact sheet detailing 4 immediate steps the President would be taking to try to break the back of the gun lobby.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will demand that businesses selling guns   at a store, a gun show, online, or out of the trunk of a car   get a license and conduct background checks before selling a weapon. The ATF will also work on a rule requiring background checks for sales of dangerous weapons through trusts, corporations or other legal entities.The FBI will also overhaul the background check system and hire 230 additional examiners and other staff to process applications.The 2017 budget will include funds for 200 new ATF investigators and agents to fight gun crime, while the ATF has established an investigation center to track guns sold over the internet used for crimes. A new ATF rule will push gun dealers to notify law enforcement officials if their guns are lost and stolen while in transit   something many probably assumed was a law already.After each mass shooting, Republicans often blame  mental health  treatment for the shooting   but then do nothing legislative to help families dealing with mental health issues. President Obama will propose $500 million in funding for increased access to mental health care.Additionally, the Social Security Administration and Department of Health and Human Services will issue new rules adding information about mental health conditions to background checks and removing barriers to states receiving information about the mental health problems for those trying to buy guns.President will direct the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security to conduct or sponsor research into gun safety technology, including the availability of smart gun technology. That tech would help to prevent the  accidental  firing of weapons, seemingly no-brainer technology that many gun owners support, but which is opposed by the NRA.President Obama issued a series of tweets kicking off the administration s rollout of these executive actions.Each year, more than 30,000 American lives are cut short by guns   two-thirds coming from suicides. Too many Americans have lost loved ones.  President Obama (@POTUS) January 4, 2016Guns now kill as many people as cars in almost half of the U.S. We can't stop every act of violence, but we can save lives if we act.  President Obama (@POTUS) January 4, 2016Tomorrow, I'm taking action to reduce gun violence and save lives   protecting the Second Amendment and our kids. pic.twitter.com/vNqXEhaC9M  President Obama (@POTUS) January 4, 2016We will keep guns out of the wrong hands, enforce our guns laws, and ensure those with serious mental illnesses get treatment.  President Obama (@POTUS) January 4, 2016What's often ignored in this debate is that a majority of gun owners agree with commonsense steps to save lives.  President Obama (@POTUS) January 4, 2016The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage, but they can't hold America hostage. We can't accept this carnage in our communities.  President Obama (@POTUS) January 4, 2016Featured image via Wikimedia Commons