Days after the mass shooting that killed 10 at Oregon's Umpqua Community College, Hillary Clinton is rolling out a plan to strengthen gun laws in what would be common-sense, modest ways in a sane country:



Clinton would tighten rules governing gun show and Internet sales using executive action "if Congress will not act," aides said. That includes the so-called gun show loophole, under which private gun sellers aren't required to perform background checks of buyers. She would also push to repeal a law backed by the National Rifle Association that prevents crime victims from suing gun manufacturers. And her proposal would revoke the licenses of "bad actor" dealers who knowingly supply guns to straw purchasers and traffickers.

Clinton’s campaign says that this could theoretically be accomplished via a new rule by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that would more clearly define what it means to be “engaged in the business” of selling firearms. Gun control advocates point out that under federal law, those “engaged in the business” of selling firearms must perform background checks, but federal regulations defining that phrase are too vague, allowing too many gun sales to proceed without such a check. Such federal regs, they say, could be changed through executive action that, for example, would set a clearer threshold defining “engaged in the business” of selling firearms in terms of the number of guns sold.

Greg Sargent explains how Clinton might take executive action on background checks:Clinton will unveil the plan Monday in a New Hampshire appearance and interview. Unfortunately, it's likely to be topical and newsworthy on a regular basis between now and the election of the next president.