President Barack Obama is expected to soon announce new executive actions to increase gun control measures, according to White House sources.

Politico reports the new changes, which may be implemented as soon as next week, will require small-scale gun sellers to be licensed and to conduct background checks before selling a weapon.

The president will also impose tighter rules on reporting any guns that get loss or stolen on the way to a buyer, the website said. According to CNN, the new plans are "imminent" but are not yet complete. Unforeseen circumstances could potentially delay the announcement.

However, gun control advocates say the changes could likely be announced before Obama's State of the Union address, set for Tuesday, Jan. 12. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Obama was "expressing urgency" over tightening gun laws, especially in the aftermath of recent attacks.

"It is complicated," Schultz said to CNN. "That's why it's taken some time for our policy folks, our lawyers, and our experts to work through this and see what's possible."

The president hinted at the impending changes in his weekly address on New Year's Day.

"Change, as always, is going to take all of us," Obama said. "The gun lobby is loud and well organized in its defense of effortlessly available guns for anyone. The rest of us are going to have to be just as passionate and well organized in our defense of our kids. That's the work of citizenship -- to stand up and fight for the change that we seek."

Obama also had some subtle criticism for Congress, implying that there was very little if any effort made towards curbing gun violence.

The president has urged Congress to tighten gun laws throughout his two terms, most notably after the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, and a number of mass shootings in 2015.

CNN said a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association (NRA) declined to comment on the news, though the group has previously been critical towards the president's so-called "gun control agenda."