'Gun show loophole' 
 
 Gun control advocates and White House officials say the focus remains on the so-called "gun show loophole," which allows certain sellers of guns -- at gun shows and elsewhere -- to avoid conducting background checks before making sales. Aside from the gun-show loophole, advocates are anticipating the administration bolster regulations on the reporting of lost and stolen guns. Obama will be returning from his Hawaii vacation, eager to make a splash; an earlier-than-normal State of the Union address on Jan. 12 is central to that strategy. That would be one of several factors used to determine whether or not a seller meets the definition of "in the business." Currently, the law says people who sell guns with the “principal objective of livelihood and profit” have to get a dealer’s license through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — and therefore conduct a background check on buyers no matter where they sell, including online or at a gun show. But as one of the major proponents of a change, Everytown has recommended adding several factors to the definition — including selling guns in their original packaging, reselling a gun shortly after acquiring it, maintaining a certain quantity of guns for sale or selling more than 25 guns a year — as possible signals that someone needs a license. “But it remains to be seen.” 
 
 The White House declined to comment on the substance of the executive actions or their timing.
– President Obama looks likely to begin his final year in office by taking unilateral action on gun control in an effort to reduce shooting deaths, CNN reports. The president is expected to release an executive action on gun control sometime before his Jan. 12 State of the Union address. According to Politico, the main component of the executive action would make the definition of who is a gun seller more specific than someone who sells guns with the "principal objective of livelihood and profit." That means people who only sell a few guns per year or sell their own gun collections could be required to be licensed and conduct background checks, CNN reports. According to Politico, this change would shrink—but not close—the "gun show loophole." A second part of the executive action would require guns that are lost somewhere between the seller and buyer to be reported, Politico reports. Thieves will target packages addressed to gun sellers in order to get their hands on unregistered firearms. Currently, all reporting of those crimes is voluntary. According to CNN, the executive action could also increase funding to enforce gun laws. While the exact contents of the executive action are still under wraps or being decided, Politico reports it's almost certainly less than what Obama pushed for following the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. Both increased licensing and mandatory reporting of stolen guns are opposed by gun-rights activists. Obama has taken 25 executive actions on gun control since 2013.