higher than the national average. one study found unsurprisingly that criminals in missouri now have easier access to guns. in states that require background checks, law-abiding americans don't find it any whatsoever. their guns have not been confiscated, their rights have not been infringed. and that is just the information we have access to. with more research, we could further improve gun safety just as with more research, we've reduced traffic fatalities years. we do research when cars, food, medicine, even toys harm people so that we make them safer. and you know what, research finds those are good things, they work.

they do. but think about this. when it comes to an inherently deadly weapon, nobody argues that guns are potentially deadly. weapons that kill tens of thousands of americans every year, congress actually voted to make it harder for public health experts to conduct research into gun violence. made it harder to collect data and facts. and developed strategies to reduce gun violence. even after san bernardino, they refused to make it harder for terror suspects who can't get on a plane to buy semiautomatic weapons.

that can't be right. so the gun lobby may be holding congress hostage right now, but they cannot hold america hostage. we do not have to accept this carnage. [ applause ] i want to be clear, congress still needs to act. the folks in this room will not

because once congress gets on board with common sense gun safety measures, we can reduce gun violence a whole lot more. but we also can't wait. until we have a congress that is in line with the majority of americans, there are actions within my legal authority that we can take to help reduce gun violence and save more lives. actions that protect our rights and our kids. after sandy hook, joe and i worked together with our teams and we put forward a whole series of executive actions to try to tighten up the existing rules and systems that we had in place.

step further. so let me outline what we'll be doing. number one, anybody in the business of selling firearms must get a license and conduct background checks or be subject to criminal prosecutions. [ applause [ it didn'toesn't matter whether you're doing it over the internet or a gun show. it's not where you do it, but what you do. we're also expanding background checks to cover violent criminals who try on buy some of the most dangerous firearms by corporations and various cutouts. we're also taking steps to make the background check system more

under the guidance of jim comey and the fbi and our deputy director at atf, we'll hire more folks to process applications faster and we'll bring an outdated background check system into the 21st century. [ applause ] and these steps will actually lead to a smoother process for law-abiding gun opener s owners, a smoother process for gun dealers and stronger process for protecting the public from dangerous people. so that's number one. number two, we will do everything we can to ensure the smart effective enforcement of gun safety raws that are already on the books. which means that we will add 200 more than atf agents and investigator, we will require firearms dealers to report more

basis, we're working with advocates to protect victims of domestic abuse from gun violence where too often -- [ applause ] -- where too often people are not getting the protection they need. number three, we will do more to help those suffering from mental illness get the help that they need. so high profile mass shootings tend to shine a light on those few mentally unstable people who inflict harm on other, but the truth is that nearly two in three gun deaths are from suicides. so a lot of our work is to prevent people from hurting themselves. that's why we made sure that the affordable care act, also known as obamacare, finally --

-- under that law made sure that treatment for mental health was covered the same as treatment for any other illness. and that's why we will invest $500 million to expand access to treatment across the country. [ applause ] it's also why we'll ensure that federal mental health records are submitted to the background check system and remove barriers that prevent states from reporting relevant information. if we can continue to destigmatize mental health issues, get folks proper care, and fill gaps in the background check system, then we can spare more families the pain of losing a loved one to suicide. and for those in congress who so often rush to blame mental illness for mass shootings, as a way of a voiding action on guns, here is your chance to support these efforts, put your money

[ applause ] number four. technology. today many gun injuries and deaths are the result of legal guns that were stolen or misused or discharged accidentally. in 2013 alone, more than 500 people lost their lives to gun accidents and that includes 30 old. in the greatest most technologically advanced nation on earth, there is no reason for this. we need to develop new technologies that make them safer. if we can set it up so you can't unlock your phone unless you got the right fingerprint, why can't we do the same thing for our guns.

if there is an app that can help us find a missing gsing tablet, which happens to me often the older i get, if we can do it for your ipad, there is no reason we can't do it with a stolen gun. if a child can't open a bottle of aspirin, we should make sure that they can't pull a trigger on a gun. [ applause ] right? so we're going to advance research, we're going to work with the private sector to update firearms technology. some gun retailers are already stepping up by refusing to finalize a purchase without a complete background check or by refraining from selling automatic weapons and high

more retailers and manufacturers join them because they should care as much as anybody about a product that now kills almost as many americans as car accidents. i make this point because none of us can do this alone. i think mark made that point earlier. all of us should be able to work together to find a balance that declares the rest of our rights are also important. second amendment rights are important. but there are other rights that we care about, as well. and we have to be able to balance them. because our right to worship frfrly and safely, that right was denied to christians in charleston, south carolina. and that was denied jews in kansas city.

chapel hill. and sikhs in oak creek. they have rights, too. [ applause ] our right to peaceful assembly, that right was robbed from movie-goers in aurora and la fayette. our unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, those rights were stripped there from college kid it is in san bernardino and from high schoolers in columbine. and from first graders in newtown newtown. first graders.

imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a gun. every too many time i think about those kids, it gets me mad. and by the way, it happens on the streets of chicago every day. [ applause ] so all of us need to demand a congress brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby's lie, all of us need to stand up and protect its citizens. all of us need to demand governors and ledge latsgislators and

our community safer. we need the wide majority of responsible gun owners who grieve with us every time this happens and feel like your views are not being properly represented to join with us to demand something better. [ applause ] and we need voters who want safer gun laws and who are disappointed in leaders who come election time. [ applause ] math. yes, the gun lobby is allow and it is organized in defense of

anytime. the rest of us have to be just as passionate, we have to be just as organized in defense of our kids. this is not that complicated. the reason congress blocks laws is because they want to win elections. and if you maket hard for them to win an election if they block those law, they will change course, i promise you. [ applause ] and, yes, it will be hard. and it won't happen overnight. it won't happen during this

presidency. but a lot of things don't happen overnight. a woman's right to vote didn't happen overnight. liberation of african-americans didn't happen overnight. lgbt rights was decades worth of work. so just because it's hard, that's no excuse not to try. and if you have any doubt as to why you should feel that fierce urgency as of now, think about what happened three weeks ago.

knoxville, he played football, beloved by his classmates and his teachers. his own mayor called they will one of their city's success stories. the week before christmas, he headed to a friend's house to play video games. he wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time. he hadn't made a bad decision. he was exactct where any other kid would be. your kid, my kid. and then gunmen started firing. and zavion who was in high school hadn't even gotten started in life, dove on top of three girls to shield them from the bullets. and he was shot in the head. and the girls were spared. and he gave his life to save theirs.

than anything we should ever expect from a 15-year-old. greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. we are not asked to do what zavion dobson did. we're not asked to have shoulders that big, a heart that strong, reactions that quick. i'm not asking people to have that same level of courage or sacrifice or love. but if we love our kids and care about their prospects, and it if we love this country and care about its future, then we can find the courage to vote, we can find the courage to get mobilized and organized, we can

all the noise and do what a sensible country would do. that's what we're doing today and tomorrow we should do more and we should more the day after that and if we do, we'll leave behind a nation stronger than the one we inherited and worthy of the sacrifice of a young man like zavion. thank you very much, every. god god bless. >> president obama in an key motion al over half hour long address announcing executive actions to further his goal to gun control working around congress. essentially expanding background checks requiring those who sell guns to be federally licensed as

talking about some of the onlineonlineonlineonlineonlineonline announcer: live. local. breaking news. this is wyff news 4 at noon in high definition. allyson: good afternoon. thanks for joining us. you just president obama addressing remarks on how he plans to implement reduce gun violence within the parameters of the second amendment. he said this is not a plot to take the guns. obama stated the problem with how some governors operate in with him estrogen is trying to do now is what they try to do three years ago after sandy hook. obama's working to reduce the number of people whose lives are cut short due to guns with more research. once congress get on board, he says we can reduce gun violence a lot more. here is what he is offering up.

checks, especially for dangerous criminals. add 280th agents and investigators -- add 280 agents and investigators for the atf and help those with mental. just into our newsroom now, officials say one u.s. soldier was killed during a joint mission in afghanistan. the defense officials say a medical helicopter was hit by a mortar while on the ground, but it was able to take off. the incident occurred in marjah . we are still learning more ininrmation at this time. we will bring you that as s comes into our newsroom. taking a look outside right now in the upstate and another part of western north carolina. you can see our woodruff road skycam coming up on the left-hand side and our resort cam of downtown blowing rock. it's a cold start for some of most of us today.

a two-hour delayed start for some schools in avery and yancey news 4 meteorologist dale gilbert joins us now with the latest on the weather. dale. dale: it has been cold all across the region this morning. the warm coats the kids perhaps as temperatures were in the teens and 20's. clear skies and it is just now 234. it started at 21 this morning. at 23.3. the windchill effect came into play. it felt like single digits in some of the higher elevations. it'll continue to be cool and breezy this afternoon across the area. widgets 838 in greenville. that-- we should see 38 today in greenville. another court night and i. -- another cold night tonight.

chance for rain in the forecast into the week in a few minutes. allyson: in north carolina the , weather is finally cold enough once again this ski season to make snow. wyff news 4's aly myles was in maggie valley this morning to . she showed us. aly: a freezing morning here in maggie valley, but a very welcome sight for snow bunnies. just take a look at that. they've made at least four feet of snow. they say they've only been open for about 10 days this season here at tube world because it was at least 55 degree nights just a few nights ago. they say they're making the most of this weather, making as much snow as possible so that they don't see bare grass again, which up until the end of december, that's what they were seeing here. again, very welcome sight for anybody waiting to get out on the slopes or on a tube. aly myles, wyff news 4, in maggie valley. allyson: thank you. taking a look at the roads now. today and tomorrow, lanes will be closed in spartanburg county. the reason, spartanburg water plans to install new water lines

the right northbound lane of south pine street going into lane of palmetto street. the company says water services will not be interrupted, but this will affect traffic from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. today and tomorrow. the oconee nuclear power plant will undergo inspection today. this after the discovery of degraded power cables. the nuclear regulatory commission will inspect the power cables for two of the plant's three units. the inspection w wl take several days. the plant is located near seneca, about 30 miles west of greenville. pickens county says it will seek legal help to keep coal ash out of its landfills. the county and company mmr pickens agreed in 2007 to allow construction debris to go into a landfill near liberty, but officials learned the company now wants to dump coal ash. the county council voted no to ititast night, saying it's not part of the agreement. also in pickens county, a woman

argument about his drinking. police say 55-year-old mary ann hopkins argument with her argued with her husband stemmed , and it stemmed from the victim's consumptioof alcohol. near by hospital with non-life threatening injuries. hopkins has been charged with aggravated domestic violence and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. right now, a hostage situation in atlanta is over. 36-year-old korrie thomas is the man who held 11 children and a his girlfriend hostage at knifepoint this morning during a domestic dispute. the standoff was at a motel in dekalb county. the children and the woman were rescued. authorities say the suspect stabbed himself in the neck. he is now in critical condition. thomas is charged with false imprisonment and obstruction. here is a wyff news 4 update to tell you about. a winston-salem police officer is still recovering from during a traffic stop. meanwhile, the suspect is court appearance.

investigators say officer a.d. gardner tried to pull over a vehicle for speeding. when the vehicle stopped, the officer smelled marijuana and asked the three people inside to get out of the car. that's s en police say one person tried to get back in the car and drive away. officer nicholas powell was also at the scene. he got in the car and struggled$% with this man, gary lynn, as he drove off. the officer was dragged. lynn pulled out a handgun and shot powell several times. lynn was also shot, but police say powell never fired his weapon. both men are expected to be ok. a former north charleston police officer charged with murder for killing a blblk man is now out of jail. he will remain under house arrest until his trial in the fall. michael slager is accused of shooting and killing walter scott during a traffic stop last year. he was originally denied bail because prosecutors said he was a flight risk, but slager posted bond last night. he is now back at home. vandals defaced the graves of several confederate soldiers at

it happened at the oakwood cemetery in raleigh. officials say at least nine monuments were vandalized. they say they covered them up to hide the spray-painted messages. officials say the vandals caused about $20,000 worth of damages to the site. here in the upstate, the first walk with a doc event of the year at bon secours wellness arena taking place this morning. the event happens once a month. well walkers get the chance to ask a bon secours st. francis health system doctor questions. today, the doctor was steve keiser, a sports medicine physician who works with both athletes and active people. >> people always ask what's the best exercise? really, the best exercise is the exercise you actually do. walking i think is one of the best because its so simple. all you need is a pair of shoes and some motivation to get out the door. >> we're new to greenville, and we're looking for a doctor, a primary care doctor, that really shares our same philosophy of just -- we stay healthy. we try to stay healthy.

and we want a doctor that understands all that. allyson: for folks who just want to get out and walk, they can head to the bon secours wellness arena on tuesdays and thursdays. the walk with a doc event is once a month. , the next month, the doctor is a cardiologist. for the first time since an october shooting that killed a k9, we are hearing from his handler. hyco was killed october 21 inn the line of duty. three people have been charged. his handler deputy brandon surratt had been with hyco for six years. hyco w w not only his partner, but a member of his family. >> he saved my life that day, and he also saved another deputy's life. the k9's, they run into danger without any hesitation because that's what they love doing.

and fargo's law. fargo was a k9 killed in richland county in 2011. time for those who harm police animals from one to five years years. as part of the bill, violators could also be charged a $20,000 fine. surratt also wants to thank the community for its support after hyco's death. he says he's received letters and donations from across the nation. we are just one wewe away from clemson's chance to win it all, so we are going back in time when the 1981 football team won the national championship. clemson sports information director tim bourret was with the athletic department back then, too. he even kept a memento of the season a ticket from the game. the cost back then, $15. now, the cheapest ticket we could find costs $450. the size of the press guides has also changed. >> basically, all the info information that's in here started out on my electric typewriter and mr. bradley's electric typewriter. allyson: bourret also kept newspapers from the orange bowl

he says when he l lks at them, he can't help but think about the excitement everyone felt winning the national championship that first time. wyff news 4 is airing an hour-long special covering the clemson playoff appearance. it's called "road to the title." it is airing mondadanight at 7:00. our sports team will be live from arizona with a preview of the game and a recap of the clemson tigers' undefeated regular season. if you're a tigers fan this is something you don't want to miss. still to come, look out america. there could be a new olympic athlete in town. that's if he qualifies, but he sure has years experience. that story coming up. dale: cold and breezy today, but milder days are coming.