Obama renews gun control push

President Obama is resuming his push for stronger gun control, following a year that saw his hopes for more stringent federal regulations dashed.

The president’s fiscal 2015 budget request contains a renewed focus on gun control, including calls for improved background checks by the FBI, better data via the National Criminal History Improvement Program and inspections of firearms dealers, according to a synopsis released by the White House.

If enacted, the president’s proposal would also take additional steps meant to help law enforcement and public health agencies prevent and respond to mass shootings.

“The budget provides training for State and local law enforcement to prevent and respond to active shooters and prevent mass casualties, invests in programs to identify mental health issues early and continues the Comprehensive School Safety Program and other initiatives to enhance school security,” according to the White House document.

President Obama pressed for an array of measures to curb gun violence last year in response to the 2012 killing spree at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. that left 26 people dead. The administration announced nearly two dozen executive actions, including nearly completed regulations designed to improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

While the White House has claimed progress on each of the items, the most significant measures on the president’s priority list — universal background checks for gun sales and bans on assault weapons on high-capacity ammunition magazines — require congressional action, as does his 2015 budget request.

Each of a series of bills put forward in the wake of the Newtown massacre failed in the face of staunch opposition from gun rights groups and congressional Republicans.

Details of the president’s latest gun control push are expected to be made public later Tuesday, as the White House rolls out the budget.