scott is off tonight. i m elaine quijano. president obama is beginning his final 12 months in office with a renewed effort to reduce gun violence following a year that saw 331 mass shootings, incidents in which four or more people were shot. mr. obama is planning a series of executive actions which would not require the approval of congress. the president is wrapping up his vacation in hawaii. chip reid is there. reporter: it was just after the mass shooting at an oregon community college in october that the president decided he had to take executive action on guns. he made the announcement today in his weekly address, posted on the white house web site. a few months ago i directed my team at the white house to look into any new actions i can take to help reduce gun violence, and on monday, i ll meet with our attorney general, loretta lynch, to discuss our options. reporter: sources tell cbs news those options include expanding the definition of who is in the business o
i directed my team at the white house to look into any new actions i can take to help reduce gun violence. and on monday i ll meet with our attorney general, loretta lynch, to discuss our options. reporter: sources tell cbs news those options include expanding the definition of who is in the business of selling guns so that more gun sales trigger background checks and requiring enhanced reporting and tracking of lost and stolen guns. the president blames the republican congress for giving him no choice but to take unilateral action. we know we can t stop every act of violence. but what if we tried to stop even one? what if congress did something, anything to protect our kids from gun violence? reporter: last month senate republicans blocked democratic proposals that would prevent people on the terror watch list from buying guns and require background checks for online gun purchases. meanwhile, some states are taking action on their own. in california a new gun control
had to take executive action on guns. he made the announcement today in his weekly address, posted on the white house web site. a few months ago i directed my team at the white house to look into any new actions i can take to help reduce gun violence, and on monday, i ll meet with our attorney general, loretta lynch, to discuss our options. reporter: sources tell cbs news those options include expanding the definition of who is in the business of selling guns so that more gun sales trigger background checks and requiring enhanced reporting and tracking of lost and stolen guns. today, the president blamed the republican congress for giving him no choice but to take unilateral action. we know we can t stop every act of violence, but what if we tried to stop even one? what if congress did something, anything, to protect our kids from gun violence? reporter: last month, senate republicans blocked democratic proposals that would prevent people on the terror watch list from
kes you wonder. i m talking to connie five more minutes, that could have been me. connie? you talking about the owner of the diner? constantine markos. all right, this constantine markos it s not the guy that s lying dead on the floor in there? i know that now, but i thought connie was the only one in there. you didn t see anyone else in the diner? well, the guy who got shot he must have come in the front right when i was walking out the back. the only person i saw going in there was that cop. all right, what happened next? well, he goes in, i m checking inventory in the back of my truck, then the shooting starts, and i dive for cover, and the next thing i see is the cop high-tailing it up the block. well, not like-like sprinting, but-but walking fast. well, was he walking fast, or was he high-tailing it? you sound a little confused. maybe he wasn t even a cop. maybe it was some other uniform, and you just didn t quite get it straight. i know what a cop looks like, okay? ja
in his weekly address, posted on the white house web site. a few months ago i directed my team at the white house to look intony new actions i can take to help reduce gun violence, and on monday, i ll meet with our attorney general, loretta lynch, to discuss our tions. reporter: sources tell cbs news those options include expanding the definition of who is in the business of selling guns so that more gun sales trigger background checks and requiring enhanced reporting and tracking of lost and stolen guns. today, the president blamed the republican congress for giving him no choice but to take unilateral action. we know we can t stop every act of violence, but what if we tried to stop even one? what if congress did something, anything, to protect our kids from gun violence? reporter: last month, senate republicans blocked democratic proposals that would prevent people on the terror watch list from buying guns and require background checks for online gun purchases. ba