In a tearful speech, President Barack Obama laid out a series of executive orders intended to reduce gun violence.

A large part of this plan — the first major initiative of Obama's last year in office — focuses on better enforcing current gun laws.

"We're going to do everything we can to ensure the smart and effective enforcement of gun safety laws that are already on the books," he said Jan. 5, 2016.

At the top of the list is improving the background check system.

He has asked the FBI to immediately hire more than 200 new employees. Obama envisions that the FBI will improve the system technology and be able to process background checks 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He is also encouraging states to provide the federal government with more robust criminal and mental health records.

Obama has directed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to "clarify" that anyone "engaged in the business of dealing in firearms" needs a license and must require background checks of purchasers. This means self-described hobbyists who regularly sell guns, as opposed to just occasionally, might be violating the law by operating without a license.

He also requested the ATF to hire more than 200 agents and investigators to better enforce current laws. The ATF will direct more attention to programs that work on gun crime intelligence and online firearms trafficking.

Of course, Congress still has to fund these initiatives, and it's possible that the next president could reverse them. Some of the Republican candidates have pledged to do just that. And there are some questions about how effective his proposals will be.

For now, we'll keep this promise rated In the Works.