President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced executive orders aimed at reducing gun violence, which local officials and activists characterize as a modest step in the right direction.

The President’s orders included language surrounding increased enforcement of background checks and clarifying which gun sellers would be required to be licensed. According to the White House, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will not draw a distinction between those who sell firearms from stores, gun shows, or online.

Those classified as commercial gun dealers must obtain a license and conduct background checks on buyers, according to the White House. Improvements to the background check system are planned, such as 24/7 processing and more efficient communication between local authorities and the federal system.

On hand at the morning announcement was Mayor Martin Walsh. In a statement, Walsh said the measures were a “common sense, simple step which will make it harder for criminals and those who intend to commit crimes to access firearms,” and laid out the Boston’s stake in the gun homicide discussion.
“Boston is no stranger to gun violence, and although we’re experiencing a 16 year low in homicides, we continue to see illegal guns involved in shootings on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” Walsh said. “With nearly 70 percent of Boston’s crime guns coming from outside Massachusetts, we know that this is not just a local issue, or an inner-city issue. Guns move across city and state lines and all too easily from legal ownership to criminal possession.”

The Boston Police Department referred requests for comment to the Mayor’s office.

A possible unintended side effect of the order could leave women increasingly pressured to act as straw purchasers, said Nancy Robinson of the Boston-based Operation LIPSTICK: Ladies Involved In Putting a Stop to Inner-City Killings.

For men with criminal records in Massachusetts who want to acquire illegal guns, “Plan A is to go up to New Hampshire and Vermont and Maine and get the guns themselves,” Robinson said. “It’s going to be harder for them to do that now, so we need to be sure they don’t turn to the women in their lives and make them the Plan B.”

Robinson said she and Operation LIPSTICK firmly support the president’s actions, but said that more action is needed to protect those who are vulnerable to exploitation through intimidation, coercion, and loyalty.

The White House describes features of the current background check system as “outdated,” not in line with modern buying and selling practices. Background checks that come back clean or take more than three days to complete clear the way for a gun seller to complete a sale. The National Criminal Background Check System received more than 22.2 million background checks in 2015, about 63,000 per day.

Tuesday’s orders were not a departure from the president’s prior positions on firearms, with much of the text focused on improving existing systems and reducing confusion surrounding sellers and purchasers’ legal restrictions. Purchases of more dangerous weapons -- already restricted under the National Firearms Act -- through trusts, corporations, or other legal entities will still require background checks through a rule ATF is attempting to finalize, according to the White House.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, though not totally familiar with the President’s proposed measures, said he “generally” supports any efforts to improve background checks and the sharing of mental health data.

“Massachusetts has always had, and I support, very comprehensive gun legislation and gun control measures in place and background checks are a good thing. If the feds are looking to build upon the existing background check system, that’s certainly something that I would support,” Baker told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

The governor also noted that Massachusetts connected for the first time in 2015 to the federal government’s mental health database as a result of gun safety legislation passed by the Legislature, and he supports the President’s effort to improve the flow of information between states and the federal government.

A State House News Service report contributed to this story.