Obama Gun Control Executive Actions, Not Orders; 23 Actions Signed Included, While Congress to Debate Two Measures

"Now is the time."

The statement above highlights the Obama administration's gun control plans and the executive actions the president ordered on Wednesday, Jan. 16.

The massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting has pushed the administration to tackle the subject of gun control. Back in December, President Obama ordered a taskforce, led by Vice President Joe Biden, to figure out if there is anything that can be done with the issue and to file recommendations for the president to consider.

Before issuing the 23 executive orders, President Obama noted that most gun owners are responsible and law-abiding people who have used their guns safely. President Obama said the Second Amendment does guarantees an individual right to bears arms but "to better protect our children an four communities from tragic mass shootings...there are four common-sense steps we can take right now," added Obama.

The Four Points:

1. Closing background check loopholes to keep guns out of dangerous hands;

2. Banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and taking other common-sense steps to reduce gun violence;

3. Making schools safer; and

4. Increasing access to mental health services.

With the four points, the 23 executive actions are:

1. "Issue a presidential memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system."

2. "Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system."

3. "Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system."

4. "Direct the attorney general to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks."

5. "Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun."

6. "Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers."

7. "Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign."

8. "Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission)."

9. "Issue a presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations."

10. "Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement."

11. "Nominate an ATF director."

12. "Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations."

13. "Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime."

14. "Issue a presidential memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence."

15. "Direct the attorney general to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies."

16. "Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes."

17. "Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities."

18. "Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers."

19. "Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education."

20. "Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover."

21. "Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges."

22. "Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations."

23. "Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health."

For further details, click here.

The 23 are "executive actions, not "executive orders."

The difference?

According to New York Magazine, "An executive action is a vague term that can refer to anything done by the executive (the president)." The actions are "more like personal priorities."

There are two recommendations that did not take immediate effect, but will instead go for debate through Congress. The first is a measure for universal background checks for people wanting to buy a gun. The second is a ban on military style weapons and ban on magazines with more than 10 rounds.