Vacation Over, Obama Looking at Ways to Reduce Gun Violence

President Barack Obama is returning to the rancor of the nation’s capital after two weeks of fun and sun in his native Hawaii, saying he’s “fired up” for his final year in office and ready to tackle unfinished business.
Vacation Over, Obama Looking at Ways to Reduce Gun Violence
President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters Sasha and Malia arrive from vacation in Hawaii at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Jan. 3, 2016. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
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HONOLULU—Hawaiian vacation over, President Barack Obama says he is energized for his final year in office and ready to tackle unfinished business, turning immediate attention to the issue of gun violence.

Obama scheduled a meeting Monday, Jan. 4, with Attorney General Loretta Lynch to discuss a three-month review of what steps he could take to help reduce gun violence. The president is expected to use executive action to strengthen background checks required for gun purchases.

Republicans strongly oppose any moves Obama may make, and legal fights seem likely over what critics would view as infringing on their Second Amendment rights. But Obama is committed to an aggressive agenda in 2016 even as public attention shifts to the presidential election.

Obama spent much of his winter vacation out of the public eye, playing golf with friends and dining out with his family. He returned to the White House about noon Sunday.

Obama's final State of the Union address will give him another chance to try to reassure the public about his national security stewardship after the attacks in Paris.