EDITORIAL: Obama’s gun-control executive action is meaningless posturing

During a press conference Tuesday, President Barack Obama wiped away tears while reflecting on the horrific 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

"First graders," the president said. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad."

The president said America has "become numb" to gun violence. He said we need to "feel a sense of urgency about it" because "people are dying." He said the constant excuses for inaction "no longer suffice."

"We know we can't stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world," he said. "But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence."

The president is angry about gun violence — and rightly so. He wants to show that he's willing to "do something" about it, even if his policy ideas — such as the ones he discussed Tuesday — won't actually make a difference.

Among the president's proposals is an effort to better identify who should be required to be licensed as a gun dealer. These "new" dealers would be required to conduct background checks, which could do more to identify those who are prohibited from buying weapons. However, if the president's plan ultimately takes effect, even the Obama administration itself admits that it would be virtually impossible to predict the number of new gun sales that would be regulated or the number of illegally obtained guns that would be yanked off the streets.

While the New York Times claims that much of the president's plan would not amount to legislation — but rather mere suggested guidelines for federal agencies — there are some questions about the legality of the proposal.

It is not yet known what criteria will be used to determine what will constitute a gun dealer under federal law, and the president's plan could easily (and significantly) expand existing legislation. The president has knowingly acted outside his authority before — his executive action to grant legal status to 5 million illegal immigrants, for example — and he could be very well be doing the same here.

President Obama himself has, in the past, acknowledged that there are limits to his power, and frustration and a lack of willingness to compromise or build relationships with lawmakers won't do anything to expand it. But even if he does have the legal authority to pull this off, why didn't he do it in his first year? Why did he wait so long?

Does the president really care about doing something to curb gun violence in this country, or is he simply looking to do some repair work on his legacy by launching yet one more emotional (yet ultimately meaningless) attack on the National Rifle Association before he leaves office?