Leading US Republicans have denounced President Barack Obama's move to tighten gun controls.
House
of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said the executive orders, which
bypass Congress, "undermined liberty" and would be challenged in court. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said that, if elected, he would reverse the measures.
In an emotional address on Tuesday, Mr Obama accused the gun lobby of holding the country hostage.
Wiping away tears, he recalled the 2012 Sandy Hook primary school shooting in which 20 children and six adults were killed.
President Obama's executive actions involve:
- Background checks for all gun sellers, overturning current exemptions to some online and gun show sellers
- States providing information on people disqualified from buying guns due to mental illness or domestic violence
- Increased workforce for the FBI to process background checks, hiring more than 230 new examiners
- Congress being asked to invest $500m (£339m) to improve access to mental healthcare in the US
- The departments of defence, justice and homeland security exploring "smart gun technology" to improve gun safety
However, the largest gun lobby group, the National Rifle Association (NRA), said Mr Obama's steps would not have prevented any recent mass killings in the US.
"Rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens," said Mr Ryan, a Republican.
"His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty."
Gun violence is significantly higher in the US than in other advanced countries, killing about 30,000 people each year.
Sales of guns in the US appear to have risen recently amid speculation that the White House was going to tighten the law.
Shares in gunmaker Smith & Wesson rose to their highest value since 1999 ahead of President Obama's announcement.
Congress has been reluctant to pass any laws restricting gun ownership, facing pressure from gun owners and the NRA.
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