Barack Obama fires the first shot of 2016 on gun control

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In this May 29, 2015 file photo, President Barack Obama talks with Attorney General Loretta Lynch in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Obama will meet with Lynch to discuss a three-month review of what actions he could take to help reduce gun violence. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

President Barack Obama is seizing the microphone at the start of his final full year in office with a series of gun control executive actions he will begin rolling out at an afternoon meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

That is followed by a formal White House event with activists Tuesday and a gun-themed town hall with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Thursday. Here’s an early look, via the Washington Post:

“One of the main proposals Obama is poised to adopt would require some unlicensed gun dealers to get licenses and conduct background checks on potential buyers. The change is aimed at occasional dealers, including some who sell online frequently or rent tables at gun shows but do not have a storefront.”

This is already making waves in the race to succeed Obama. Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie had this to say on Fox News Sunday:

“The president is a petulant child. Whenever he doesn’t get what he wants, … this president acts like a king.”

Democratic contender Hillary Clinton was out with a statement Sunday seeking to fire up the Democratic base:

“When I came out with my proposals for common sense gun safety measures, I did say that in the absence of Congressional action, I would use executive authority to go as far as would be possible under the law and I applaud the President for taking a hard look at that and I believe he will take some actions to require more gun sellers to do background checks,” Clinton said of the anticipated proposal.

Clinton warned: “I know that a Republican president would delight in the very first day, reversing executive orders that President Obama has made, including this one that we expect him to make.”

Expect the reaction in Georgia to mirror those partisan dynamics. In primary season, the heated rhetoric works for both parties.

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Just in time for the legislative session, a new advocacy group is back with the stated mission of preventing “Islamic terrorists” masquerading as refugees from resettling in Georgia.

The Refugee Resettlement Relief project landed in our inboxes over the weekend. The folks behind it didn’t return messages seeking comment – we’re told it belongs to a local Republican activist – and curiously the only lawmaker targeted by the site is state Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, who is dubbed the “ring leader” of the resettlement program.

The calls to restrict refugees from war-torn Syria escalated after the Paris terror attacks, and Gov. Nathan Deal joined more than half the nation’s governors in opposing the White House’s plan to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S.

The federal government insists a stringent screening process weeds out any potential security threats, and it’s unclear what steps Georgia lawmakers can take either way.

Attorney General Sam Olens concluded last week that Georgia has no legal authority to halt the resettlement of refugees in Georgia, undercutting an executive order directing state agencies not to assist new Syrian refugees seeking benefits.

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If it’s the week before the legislative session, it’s time for lawmakers to load up on last-minute fundraising appeals.

Since sitting lawmakers are blocked from raising money during the annual 40-day session, which starts next Monday, the incumbents typically squeeze in a few rounds of fundraising splurges before the General Assembly returns.

Among the invites circulating is a Commerce Club event on Thursday for the Senate Republican Leadership Team, which includes Pro Tem David Shafer and Majority Leader Bill Cowsert.

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Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump actually spent money on a political ad that the networks will surely play for free. It’s about all of the scary things he will prevent. You can watch it here.

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Back when Ben Carson was deciding whether to jump into the presidential race, he had strong encouragement from the last black Republican to come out of nowhere to the top of the field: Atlanta’s own Herman Cain.

From a Washington Post deep-dive weekend piece on Carson, describing a meeting of black conservatives in the spring of 2013 urging Carson to run:

“Kick their butts!” [Cain] exhorted the group as they dined in the Willard’s private Holmes Room.

It was Cain who’d invited Carson to the gathering, and the others suspected an unstated reason.

“It felt as if we were witnessing a passing of the torch,” [the Congress of Racial Equality’s Niger] Innis says.

The early push from Cain is fascinating, given that Cain has not endorsed Carson — or any candidate. The WSB-Radio talker has identified six Republican candidates he could support — including Carson — and he gave a warm-up speech for Donald Trump in Norcross. But he has not thrown his weight behind one GOP hopeful.

One major departure for Carson from the Cain model is in his tax plan, unveiled this morning: A 14.9 percent flat tax just doesn’t have the same ring to it as 9-9-9.

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